Franzisca Domeisen Benedetti: It starts with the fact that this considerable group – 8% of the Swiss population currently care for their relatives – is not even recognised for the role it performs.

When a couple has children, they are automatically assigned the role of parents. However, if a son finds himself caring for his elderly mother, society does not necessarily perceive him in the role of a family carer. And it is no foregone conclusion that he will even do so himself. 

Family carers invariably have several roles at the same time and find themselves performing umpteen tasks in parallel. The son in my example will often also be a partner, father or grandfather and likely also be very involved in his work. Alongside all of these other obligations, it is also difficult to identify yourself as a family carer. Furthermore, you are not thrust into this role overnight, as is the case with parents. Instead, you find it sneaking up on you and becoming more intense as the years pass.

Very often, they find themselves taking care of administrative and organisational tasks. To begin with, they might only be helping with payments and forms. As time progresses, they may find themselves increasingly doing the shopping or helping out with household chores. And at some point, they eventually have to organise all of the formalities relating to care and repeatedly check that everything is going smoothly in their relative’s everyday life. This is a lot of work and can be very taxing, meaning that family carers often reach their limits or even suffer a burnout because they have too much on their plate.  

At first glance, it looked as though all was still right in the world in Wallisellen. In our survey, 40% of family carers stated that they seek support in good time when the strain on them becomes too great. Just over 70% felt “rather satisfied” to “satisfied” in their role as a carer and also rated their own well-being as very high.

For the study, we also spoke with the LUNAplus counselling centre for senior citizens and – as we actually expected – found that our results do not necessarily correspond with their everyday experiences. The LUNAplus employees meet many elderly couples in difficult situations who find themselves at their limits from both a physical and mental standpoint.

On the one hand, some 90% of the respondents failed to return our questionnaire. Among these individuals, many of them will simply have been so busy that they didn't have the time to complete the questionnaire. In other words, we were actually unable to reach many people who are overburdened and in need of support. And, on the other hand, people often answer surveys in a way that they think is socially desirable. In this case, this equates to painting a picture in which they are in control of the situation.

First of all, it is important to draw attention to the fact that it is not only people in need of help who are a vulnerable group, but also the family carers who look after them. This reality is not yet present in many people’s minds. There is also the fact that false recognition within the family can, under certain circumstances, place additional pressure on the relatives providing care.

If, for example, a brother praises his sister for taking care of their mother so fantastically that he could never dream of living up to her. This kind of admiration can in fact send the wrong signal and increase the sister’s level of stress, as she is now even more afraid of admitting to herself and those around her that the whole thing is perhaps too much for her and that she needs to take more time for herself.

On the one hand, the population should be made more aware of the issues we have just discussed. On the other, public appreciation and visibility are important factors. Wallisellen is planning, for example, to arrange breakfast meetings for family carers at which they will have the opportunity to talk with one another and share their experiences. At the same time, it is important to further boost awareness of the existing services offered by the municipality that are aimed at easing the strain on family carers. And above all else, the trust placed in these services, which include day and night centres, needs to be strengthened.

What can be said with certainty is that they have scruples about leaving relatives who require care with strangers if they are unsure that they will be in good hands with them. This is also one of the reasons why they prefer to stay at home with their relatives instead of allowing themselves to take time out with friends or like-minded people. Wallisellen already offers a good and wide range of services. However, the municipality needs to do a better job of demonstrating that it is beneficial for both the carers and those being cared for to make use of the services provided by the day centre for a few hours each week.  

As things stand, practically every municipality his its own services aimed at senior citizens. What’s more, it is often the case that there is a lack of clarity about exactly what the neighbouring municipality offers. This does not make any sense, as care arrangements are not limited to municipal borders. Often, for example, adult children who are now providing care do not live in the same place as their elderly parents. This is why national structures are required. Finding nationwide solutions here is a major issue that will continue to occupy us for many years to come.