Guidance for Carers
A carer is anyone, including children and adults who look after a family member, partner or friend who needs help because of their illness, frailty, disability, mental health problem or addiction and cannot cope without their support.
If you are looking for guidance on your caring role, regarding financial or practical support, it can be difficult to know where to go. Hopefully this article will provide you with some points of contact. The support available for carers and Carers’ rights may differ depending on whether you live in England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland.
If you are looking for some help with your caring role, it may be best to first visit the website
At the top of the page you can choose your content – UK, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales. If you then click on the option marked ‘Help and advice’ you get a drop down menu and the bottom option is ‘Support where you live’. When you select this option it will display a directory, which contains information and contact details for local carers’ organisations across that region, and local council social services departments. You will find that local carers’ organisations will have detailed information on what help and support is available locally.
The sort of help you might obtain from local organisations can include:-
Financial Guidance
Discussing what benefits you may be able to claim and how to claim them.
For your information, you can use an independent, free and anonymous benefits calculator
to see what you could be entitled to. One website that you could use to do this is www.entitledto.co.uk
Practical Help and Support
Training and information sessions on things such as moving and handling, first aid, legal sessions on Wills and Lasting Power of Attorney. Guidance on your rights as a carer, having a carer’s assessment and a needs assessment.
Your Health and Wellbeing
Providing a range of opportunities for carers to improve or maintain their physical and mental wellbeing including meeting with other carers, how to get a good night’s sleep and getting time to yourself and reducing social isolation and loneliness.
Emergency Planning
What would happen to the person you look after if you became ill or had an emergency to deal with? Your local carers association will have details of any local emergency card schemes and local respite services.
References
NHS commissioning
The information contained in this article was accurate at the time of production, however this is always subject to change.
We are providing this information, for awareness purposes.