How do the more than 4 million informal carers in the Netherlands experience the care tasks they take on? This is evident from the results of the National Informal Care Survey 2021. A record number of 1.577 informal carers participated in this annual survey by our partner Senior Service, the largest and oldest organization for informal care support in the Netherlands. What do informal carers in our country need and what does the research say about working and retired carers?
Not receiving our newsletter yet? Then sign up quickly.
Government support
Six in ten informal carers expect to need more help with their informal care tasks in the coming years. More than half of the respondents indicate that they are not aware of support options from the government and health insurers. This is not entirely new: several studies have already shown this in the past.
A selection of the results
What insights does the National Informal Care Survey give us? Below you will find the most striking results:
- Informal care is a daily task for one third of the respondents.
- 11% provide more than 36 hours of care per week.
- A quarter of the respondents have to travel more than 10 kilometers.
- 82% believe they should continue to provide informal cares for the rest of their lives.
- The government receives a 3,9 for dealing with informal carers.
- 40% say they need support with care, more than half are willing to pay for it.
- However, more than a third of those surveyed are not aware of professional informal care support.
- A third of informal carers say that informal care has become more intensive during the corona crisis.
- 37% are retired, 24% work part-time, 11% have full-time employment and 9% are self-employed.
- 56% never work from home, 22% partly and 22% work entirely from home.
Here you will find all the results of the National Informal Care Survey 2021.
About informal care and De Unie
At De Unie we think it is important that you as a caregiver do not become overburdened. That is why we have been addressing the subject during collective bargaining for years and are looking for various ways in which we can support you. Do you need informal care yourself or do you take care of a family member - for example your parents? Then it is nice if not all tasks end up on your shoulders. Therefore it works De Unie together with Senior Service, an informal care organization that only employs permanent, qualified employees. Contact Senior Service and discuss how they can help you. In particular, get advice on a Personal Budget, or ask Senior Service to request this from the municipality together with you.
Check the Senior Service website For more information. Would you like to contact us directly? That can be done via clientenadvies@seniorservice.nl and 0800 1969.
[print_link]
