Speaking at the ‘No time to retire – stories from older carers,’ Festival of Politics event at the Scottish Parliament yesterday, Enable Scotland chair Alex Russell said older carers need to chap loudly on the door of politicians if they are to get the support they need and deserve.

He explained that while in the past parents often expected to outlive their children with learning disabilities, now the life expectancy of people with learning disabilities is longer. As a result elderly parents in their 60s and 70s are still providing care and support to their child at home and worrying about what will happen to their children when they are no longer able to provide that care.

Russell said: “This is the first generation of people with learning disabilities who are outliving their carers. As we grow older we have smaller support networks and because of a lifetime of caring we have greater physical and mental stresses.”

There are an estimated 120,000 people with learning disabilities living in Scotland. Of these 25 per cent have a carer aged 65 or over, 20 per cent have two carers aged 70 or over and 11 per cent have only one carer aged 70 or over.

The event, which was chaired by Labour MSP Jackie Baillie, also heard from a selection of older carers who had spent their lives caring for sons and daughters with learning disabilities.

Ken Ferguson from positive living charity Quarriers, said that many parents caring for a child with a learning disability felt that decisions were being made over their heads. He criticised the lack of transparency in local government and said there was a need to improve consultation with parents.

Sally Ann Elfverson, convenor of the Learning Disability Alliance Scotland, said that she had always lived at home with her mum, but now that she was getting older would like her mum to have more help and support. She called on the Government to plan ahead so that families like hers will feel safe in the knowledge that they will be provided for in the future.

For more information visit: www.enable.org.uk , www.quarriers.org.uk & www.ldascotland.org