Top Tips for adult carers
Caring for someone can be rewarding but it can also be exhausting, both physically and emotionally. When you’re constantly focused on looking after someone else, it’s easy to lose sight of your own health and wellbeing.
You may find yourself responding to their needs while neglecting your own.
Here’s a few helpful tips to support you in maintaining your own wellbeing:
Tell your GP
- If your GP (General Practitioner) knows that you are a carer, they can offer you useful support, advice and information. They may be able to recommend or refer you to suitable specialists including Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Continence Advisers and Dieticians or other more general sources of support
- It’s important to tell your GP about your caring responsibilities so that they can signpost you to relevant support.
You might find this letter template useful.
Ask for a Carers Assessment of Need
Getting a Carers Assessment of Need is a great first step toward accessing the support you deserve! It’s your opportunity to speak up about what help you need to continue in your caring role.
Find out more information and how to request a Carers Assessment of Need here.
Do you need practical support?
- It can be hard to know where to start when thinking about getting help for the person you care for. The first step is to ask for a Needs Assessment from City of York Council
- Think about ways to make the home safer. You can ask for a Falls Prevention visit from City of York Council or talk to your GP about an assessment from an Occupational Therapist – both services are free.
- Navigating home care and paying for care can be challenging
Think about finances
- You can get free advice about the benefits you may be entitled to even if you own your own home and have savings.
- Once you are registered you can ask to talk to our Benefits Advisor who can support you and the person you care for to ensure you are receiving all the benefits you are entitled to
Take a break
- Taking a break is not always easy but it is important to take care of yourself.
- Having a Carers Assessment of Need will help you consider what breaks would be helpful and how you might make this happen.
- A break can range from an hour with a friend, to a week or two for a holiday. It is important to recognise what will help you stay well and get a rest when you need it.
- Respite care is the term used when the person you care for is cared for by someone else, either in their home or in another setting, such as day care or residential care.
- Find more information about planning and organising respite care here
Plan for an emergency
- Register for a Carers Emergency Card – find out more information and request a Carers Emergency Card here
- Talk to your family and friends about what you need if you are suddenly unavailable for the person you care for. Make a plan and share this with people who can help in your absence.
Working and caring
- Carers now have the right to request Flexible Working, Carers Leave and time off in emergencies.
- Your employer may also offer other benefits to unpaid carers and it is helpful to know what is available. If you are working and caring tell your employer that you are an unpaid carer so they can support you.
- Visit our Advice page here for more information about working carers.
- Further advice and support for working carers can be found here
Ask for support
- There may be times when your caring role feels overwhelming, and you might not know where to turn for help. Accessing the right support at the right time can empower you to continue in your caring role or help you explore additional support to make it more manageable.
- Having a Carers Assessment of Need will help you identify what support you may need from us or another organisation, and how to put this in place.
- York Carers Centre offers support groups and wellbeing activities, providing an opportunity for you to connect with other unpaid carers and share your experiences.
- Getting support from local community groups is another way to meet people who are in a similar situation to you, and these can be found on the Live Well York website here.
