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Carers Week 2017 - What support is there for you?
Wednesday, June 14th, 2017 | Blog
It is currently Carers Week 2017 in the United Kingdom. During the week, charities and carers try to highlight the issues they face providing unpaid care for friends or relatives. The support that is currently available is a vast improvement over what it once was, but there is still a vital lack of knowledge and funding in the sector.
The discernable gap in knowledge doesn’t just belong the general public, there are indeed many carers that are woefully underprepared for the care of another human being - many people don’t even realise they are a carer! This is why it is so important during Carers Week that people are aware of the support available to them.
While there isn’t a whole lot of support for someone who is providing unpaid care, there are some great charities and websites available to those who need some information, or even just a person to talk to.
Your Local GP
Up until 2014, local GPs had no legal reason to provide support to carers. Any support that was given was often done at the discretion of individual GPs and local councils. In 2014 the Care Act was passed, making it a legal right that carers receive support. This meant that carers were able to seek an assessment that would help them find the right kind of support depending on their situation.
If you are caring for a relative, and wish to seek some support and guidance, please contact your local council. They will assess your situation and try to provide support based on your needs, and the needs of the person you are caring for.
Click the link to find your local council’s contact details https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council.
Online Forums
Being a fulltime carer can often be incredibly isolating, especially if there aren’t any family or friends local to you. This can make caring incredibly hard as you have no one to talk to or discuss your situation with. This is where an online forum can help. Using the power of the internet, an online forum will enable you to chat with other people in your situation, who might just be able to give you the advice you need.
There are lots of different forums online, but here are a few to get you started;
YouTube
This one may sound a little bit weird, but YouTube can offer support. Sometimes it is important that you know you are not alone in your situation, there are other people out there providing support and care to relatives. YouTube is an excellent place for this as many people document their experiences, and some even give advice.
Please click this link to see all videos related to carers on YouTube.
Various Charities
There are lots of charities that provide help and support to carers across the UK. They can help you figure out the support you are entitled to, and help you make sense of the support system that is available. Here is a list of some of the different charities that you can contact;
It’s important that carers have access to the support that is available, and this list will hopefully at least point you in a direction that can help. We will continue to update this list as we find more sources of support.
