Carers UK has released a new report with the support of Nutricia that will provide new insight on unpaid carers’ views and priorities when caring for relatives and friends who are underweight or overweight.

Diet, nutrition and hydration is an under-recognised issue across the UK, but better and earlier interventions, information, advice and support could transform the lives of people needing care as well as their families who support them. 

Using the results of nearly 8,000 unpaid carers, our results found that:

• One in seven carers (14%) were caring for someone with a disability or illness who was underweight. 
• 39% of carers were caring for someone who was overweight. 
• A large proportion of carers worry about the diet and nutrition of the person being cared for – between half of all carers to eight out of ten depending on the area of worry. 
• Carers of people who were underweight were most likely to be worried about diet, nutrition and hydration. 
• Those most likely to be underweight tended to be older people, the carers’ parents or parents- in-law and not living with the carer. 

The report provides key recommendations that are deliverable and achievable across different health and care structures as well as through services in the UK, regardless of where the carer and the person being cared for lives. These include overarching recommendations relating to diet and nutrition as well as specific recommendations to support carers of people who are underweight or overweight.

The full report can be found here.