Taking care of the carer

Looking after your own health is vital to sustaining your capacity as an unpaid carer. Yet many carers struggle on until they almost reach crisis point before seeking help. It is vital to recognise your own symptoms of stress and seek support early.

We have outlined some sources of support that you may find useful

Health services

Talk to your GP or health care practitioner about health services that are available. This might include:

• Treatment and advice to help manage medical conditions
• Access to specialist health services e.g. dementia
• A referral to an occupational health therapist who can advise on the right equipment and adaptations for your home to making moving and positioning easier and safer.
• A referral to an incontinence advisor who can offer support with managing continence issues.

Family, friends and neighbours

Tell your friends and family how you are feeling. They may want to support you, but don’t know how. Help them to understand your experience and what you need from them. If this is too difficult think about what it is that stops you. It may help to put yourself in their shoes; how would you feel if a friend asked you for help? What information would you need from them?

Information and advice

Carers have said that good information and advice is really important to them.  You need to be able to understand the medical condition affecting your loved one. You may also need advice on caring and information on benefits, finance and employment matters. Most importantly you want to be involved as expert partners in care.

Contact Carers UK who offer a range of practical advice and support e.g. finance, benefits, rights at work, a support network of other experts by experience etc.

Or contact your local adult social services department (this is also known as Adult Social Care). The NHS choices website has an online directory which you can search to find the contact details for the local services in your area.

Social services

Ask your local adult social services department of your local authority for an assessment to see what practical support they may be able to offer. The law across the UK entitles unpaid carers to their own care assessment if they are providing substantial care for someone. This means the social services department will look at your needs as well as the person that you provide care for.  

A member of staff will talk to you about your health, the care you provide, how you feel about your role, things that are important to you such as work, study and leisure and what plans you have in place in the event of an emergency occurring.

You should be able to have a separate carer’s assessment in the following situations:

• Where you are providing regular and substantial care to someone
• When the person you are looking after is someone who may be entitled community care services
• As part of the process of assessment when the person you are looking after is being discharged from hospital
• When you are looking after someone with mental health problems who is on the Care Programme Approach
• As a parent carer of a disabled child under 18, if the assessment of the child does not fully take account of your needs

The local authority will decide whether you meet their criteria for care and support services. This is called the ‘eligibility’ criteria. If you meet the eligibility criteria, the local authority will then carry out an assessment of your financial situation to see whether you will be charged for these services and if so, how much. 

Types of support that the local authority may be able to provide include practical help and personal care from  care agencies such as Bluebird Care  , mobility aids to help the person be more independent or respite care to give you a break. 

Contact your local authority’s adult social services department (also called adult social care) if you want to ask for an assessment.

You can also find out more information about how to obtain and prepare for a carers assessment by visiting;

The NHS choices website

Or

Carers UK website

The Care Act 2014 

The Care Act 2014 will be implemented in England and Wales in April 2015.

For the first time, carers will be on the same legal footing as the people they care for, with extended rights to assessment, and new entitlements to support to meet their eligible needs.

In England and Wales the local authority will assess whether the carer has needs and what those needs may be. This assessment will consider the impact of the caring on the carer. It will also consider the things that a carer wants to achieve in their own day-to-day life. It must also consider other important issues, such as whether the carer is able or willing to carry on caring, whether they work or want to work, whether they want to study or do more socially.

If both the carer and the person they care for agree, a combined assessment of both their needs can be undertaken.

When the assessment is complete, the local authority must decide whether the carer’s needs are ‘eligible’ for support from the local authority. This approach is similar to that used for adults with care and support needs.

If the person is eligible then the local authority and the carer will agree a support plan, which sets out how the carer’s needs will be met. This might include help with housework, buying a laptop to keep in touch with family and friends, or becoming a member of a gym so that the carer can look after their own health.

It may be that the best way to meet a carer’s needs is to provide care and support directly to the person that they care for, for example, by providing replacement care to allow the carer to take a break.

If the local authority decides to charge a carer for providing support, it must carry out a financial assessment to decide whether the carer can afford to pay.

Home care services

You may wish to purchase your own care services. At Bluebird Care we understand the emotional, practical and social challenges that you face.  We can provide specialist homecare, so that you and your family have the essential support you need when you need it. Our flexible services are tailored to fit with your chosen lifestyle so you continue to enjoy the important things in your life.

This might be anything from;

• A weekly visit to help with  help with practical tasks such as housework, laundry and shopping live;
• Daily pop in to get your loved one up and ready for the day;
• Help with toileting and personal care;
• Social support such as companionship or engagement in social activities;
• Live in respite care to give you a break or an  overnight sitter;
• Longer term live in care to provide ongoing care and support on a 24 hour basis.

Contact your local Bluebird Care office and have an informal chat with about the services we can offer to support you and your family.

Information and advice

Carers have said that good information and advice is really important to them. You need to be able to understand the medical condition affecting your loved one. You may also need advice on caring and information on benefits, finance and employment matters. Most importantly you want to be involved as expert partners in care.

Contact Carers UK who offer a range of practical advice and support e.g. finance, benefits, rights at work, a support network of other experts by experience etc.

Or contact your local adult social services department (this is also known as Adult Social Care). The NHS choices website has an online directory which you can search to find the contact details for the local services in your area.