Chapter 2 Advice and support for carers, family and friends

(Publication: Guide to Care at Home 2008-2009)

This Guide not only offers information to people who wish to go on living independently in their own homes – it also addresses their carers, family and friends.

You may not recognise yourself officially as a ‘carer’ but if there is someone for whom you provide practical and emotional support on an ongoing basis in order to help them live independently, that’s exactly what you are. This Guide gives you information about organisations and services which can provide both of you with the help you need.

Support from Adult Services

Assessments

You can ask for an assessment of the help needed for the person you are looking after. This assessment should take all circumstances into account, including your contribution to the person’s care and the help you need to go on caring.

If you have already asked Adult Services for help for the person you look after, you can either talk to the same care manager, or you can ask to speak to someone different. Everything you say will be confidential and will not be passed on to the person you are caring for, so you should feel free to explain exactly how you feel and what problems there are.

You may also find it useful to ask their advice on how to help the person you are caring for to become less dependent on you. In many cases, with a little support and guidance, someone who has had a set-back can re-learn skills. Adult Services staff are expert in identifying what support is needed to help people regain their independence.

Carer’s Assessment

You can also ask for a separate assessment of the help you need to be able to go on looking after the person you are caring for. This is called a ‘carers assessment’. If you were already getting help from Adult Services before you became a carer, don’t forget to mention to your care manager that you are now looking after someone. He or she will be able to discuss with you any extra help you need.

If Adult Services assesses that the person you are caring for is entitled to financial assistance for care at home services, they may wish to use the ‘Direct Payments’ scheme. This would enable you to organise and purchase the help you need for them directly instead of it being arranged through Adult Services. Details are given in chapter 6 and a full explanation of the financial assessment process is given in the booklet ‘Paying for Care at Home’. For a free copy telephone 0800 028 0888 or visit www.hants.gov.uk/adult-services/care-at-homepublications

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Support from the Health Service

Your doctor can give you general information about the illness or disability affecting the person you are looking, and how it might develop. But your doctor can only give you specific information about the person you care for if that person agrees that you should have it. It is important that you talk this through before you approach the doctor. He or she can also put you in touch with specialist organisations that can give you information and support.

It is often very stressful caring for someone else and it can make you susceptible to injury and illness. The doctor can give you help and advice if your own health is suffering because you are looking after someone else. You can get advice about lifting, and relevant training, from your surgery. Independently, you can hire a night care service so that you can get some uninterrupted sleep. See the list of organisations that can provide help in the home.

Your doctor can also register you as a carer in their records. This may help co-ordinate services for you and the person you care for and can help you access local support services.

If you need to register with a doctor, see chapter 3.

NHS Direct
www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
Interactive digital TV
tel 0845 4647 (charged at local rates)
Available 24 hours
NHS Direct provides information and advice about health, illness and health services.

Looking after your back

BackCare, the charity for healthier backs, provides information about the causes, treatment and management of back pain. They publish a ‘Carers guide to safer moving and handling of patients’.

Backcare
16 Elmtree Road,Teddington, Middlesex TW11 8ST
Tel 020 8977 5474
Helpline 0845 130 2704 for information and support on managing backpain
www.backcare.org.uk

Hearing or sight impairment

If you have hearing or sight problems, you may already use special equipment to help you deal with everyday tasks. There is also equipment that can help you in your role as a carer (for example, if you are deaf, you might find a vibrating pager useful to let you know when the person you look after needs help). Adult Services can give advice about equipment that could help you as a carer. For contact details see chapter 9.

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Getting a Break

It's important that you have regular breaks from caring and have time to yourself. You can ask Adult Services staff for advice and information about local respite services, and whether they can arrange help for you, or you can approach other organisations yourself - see list of organisations that can provide help at home. If you make your own arrangements, make sure that the people you talk to understand that you are looking for help that will allow you to have time to yourself, even if it is just for an hour or so.

Some local 'Good Neighbour' groups may be able to help in an emergency - see chapter 5 - but for more regular help you should try the services mentioned here.

Services that can help

There are various day opportunities which provide activities and company for the person you look after, giving them valuable opportunity to ‘get out and about’ - see chapter 7.
The Adult Services ‘Adult Placement Scheme’ offers day care in the homes of adult placement carers. The scheme is mainly for people with learning disabilities, but also offers help for others. For more information - see chapter 9.
‘Sitting services’ provide someone who comes to your home while you have time to yourself - see list of organisations that can provide help at home.
‘Take a Break’ schemes, run both by Adult Services and voluntary organisations, give carers a few hours to themselves. To find out what’s available, contact your nearest Adult Services office - see chapter 9 for phone numbers.
Many care homes offer informal day care, where someone can regularly spend a day with the residents.
Some also offer short stays, either as a one-off, or on a regular basis. You can find details of homes near you that offer this service in the Adult Services Guide to Residential Care. For a free copy phone 0800 028 0888.
You can get live-in help for a short period to allow you to take a break. See list of organisations that can provide help at home.
If the person you look after needs special care that would make an ordinary holiday difficult, you can get information and advice from specialist holiday organisations - see chapter 7.

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Helplines for Carers

There may be times when you want to talk to someone who understands the pressures of being a carer or you may want practical advice or support to help you cope. There are evening and weekend helplines for carers run by Adult Services that can provide a listening ear, useful advice and practical help in an emergency.

Hampshire Carers Direct
Monday to Thursday 5pm-11.30pm, Friday 4.30pm-11.30pm, Weekends and Bank Holidays, 8.30am-11.30pm
Tel 0845 600 4555
This service offers information and advice on a wide range of topics including local resources, services available, welfare benefits, rights and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Carers will also be able to have their emergency contact details updated, a referral for a Carers Assessment taken and/or a review forwarded to their local office.

Southampton Carers Support Line
Monday to Thursday 5pm-8.30am, weekends from Friday 4.30pm to Monday 8.30am, and all day on bank holidays.
tel 023 8023 3344

Carers UK
32-36 Loman Street, Southwark, London, SE1 0EE
Tel 020 7922 8000
CarersLine tel 0808 808 7777, Wednesday & Thursday 10am-12pm, and 2pm-4pm
www.carersuk.org

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Local Carers Centres

Carers Centres offer contact with other carers, local information and support, and a chance to make your views known.

Carers Together
tel 01794 519495
Information, support, advice, advocacy, training and awareness.
Carers Active Listening Line (CALL)
08000 3 23456 (365 days a year, 9am-11pm)
www.carerstogether.org.uk
Free, non-judgemental and confidential support. Information about your local carers support group.

Portsmouth Carers Centre
65 Kingston Road, Portsmouth PO2 7DX
tel 023 9285 1864 between 11am and 1pm Monday to Thursday
www.hids.org.uk/carers
Information, support, training courses for carers, local groups, quarterly newsletter, meetings with speakers.

There are also Carer Centres in:

Andover tel 01264 835246
Basingstoke tel 01256 353290
Eastleigh tel 023 8090 2400
Fareham & Gosport tel 023 9250 1592
Havant & Petersfield tel 023 9259 5455
Meon Valley tel 01489 895444
New Forest tel 01425 622588
Romsey tel 01794 519495
Winchester tel 01962 842034

The centres in Andover and Winchester are run by the Princess Royal Trust for Carers who offer a wide range of support services. Their website offers advice and information, factsheets, and a chat room www.carercentre.com.

Your local Council of Voluntary Service (CVS) may also run a carers’ support group, for example, Test Valley Community Services run Andover and District Carers Forum tel 01264 362600. For CVS contact details, see chapter 9.

Crossroads runs a national network providing respite support for carers and has a limited service for carers from their Newbury scheme.
tel 01635 300008
tel 0845 450 0350 www.crossroads.org.uk

Young carers

If you are a young carer (this could be helping with your disabled brother or sister, one of your parents or another family member), you can get help and support from the young carers website: www.hants.gov.uk/childrens-services/youngcarers It provides access to information specific to young people, about local support groups, and many links to other sites of special interest including fun, sports, TV & film and much more.

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Looking after someone with dementia

It can be exhausting and lonely looking after someone who has a form of dementia such as Alzheimer’s. There are services that can help both the people suffering from dementia and their carers, and this section gives some pointers that may be helpful.

Alzheimer’s Society
Devon House, 58 St Katherine's Way, London, E1W 1JX
Helpline 0845 300 0336 Monday to Friday 8.30am-6.30pm
www.alzheimers.org.uk
Information and publications about the disease, as well as details of local groups.

The Department of Health publishes ‘Who Cares?, Information and support for the carers of people with dementia', a free 94 page booklet giving comprehensive information for carers of people with dementia.
DH Publications Orderline, PO Box 777, London SE1 6XH
Tel 08701 555455
www.dh.gov.uk

Day centres

Adult Services, voluntary organisations and the Health Service run day centres to give carers a regular break and give the person they care for the opportunity for social interaction.

The Alzheimer Café in Farnborough

This is a monthly gathering where people with dementia and / or their family and friends can be together in a safe, welcoming environment, in the company of other carers, volunteers and care professionals, for the purpose of emotional support, education and social interaction.

It takes place on the third Friday of every month (except August) from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at: St. Peter's Parish Church Centre, 60 Church Avenue, Farnborough, Hampshire

All are very welcome. Newcomers please contact Kandy Redwood on (01252) 314221

www.alzheimercafe.co.uk

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Mental health problems

If the person you care for has mental health problems, you should get advice from your GP or from the Duty Person at your local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) - see chapter 9. Your local Council of Voluntary Service (see chapter 9), will also be able to provide you with details of help available.

The following organisations may also be able to help:

Together - Working for Wellbeing offers support and information for carers, and runs several respite schemes across the country. They publish a free guide for carers of people with mental health needs, which gives background information on treatment, emergency help and the services that are available. Tel 020 7780 7300 www.together-uk.org

Mencare is a charity set up specifically to help the carers of people who have severe mental illness, and runs Supportive Family Training courses. Call 0208 959 3100 or visit www.mencare.info

Rethink (previously the National Schizophrenia Fellowship) works to help everyone affected by severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, to recover a better qulaity of life.Website: www.rethink.org.uk

General enquiries and details of local and user carer groups:
Tel: 0845 456 0455
email: info@rethink.org

Rethink National Advice Service
Tel: 020 8974 6814 (10am to 3pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 10am to 1pm Tuesday and Thursday)
email: advice@rethink.org.uk

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