81% of family carers in Northern Ireland fear for future, new report reveals

More than eight out of ten families in Northern Ireland caring for a disabled adult with complex needs live in fear of what will happen when they are no longer able to provide support, a new report has revealed.

The report - entitled 'When I'm Gone' - was published by the national disability charity 'Sense' on Friday evening.

It shows that nearly 80% of family carers say they have no long-term plan.

One in two families also said they worry that funding cuts will impact the availability of local services for their loved one and almost 80% of carers have little to no trust in local authorities to provide adequate support.

Sense is calling on the government to provide local authorities with more funding and resources so that they can provide better support for disabled people and their families, now and in the future.