Guideposts Trust Carers Support Service
Guideposts - advice, information and emotional support for all carers. Contact 0845 600 9980 for information about groups or one-to-one support. Support workers can visit you at home to discuss what options there are for you and help you with applications for benefits etc.
Practical Support for Carers
When you are caring for someone who has dementia it is important to remember that your needs matter too. There are times when caring for a loved one with dementia is arguably the hardest job in the world: you need to know that there is practical and emotional support available to you.
So, what sort of support is available?
Help with care
There is a wide variety of home care options available. Following financial assessment these may be provided free by Social & Community Services, who will also provide a Care Manager. If you are arranging care services privately you may find it helpful to use non-means-tested disability benefits, such as attendance allowance, for this.
Time to Yourself
It is important to make time for yourself, and there are lots of ways to get a break from providing care. Our Getting a Break section has details about different sorts of respite care, and holidays too.
A Chance to Talk
There may be times when even close family or friends don't understand how things are for you, or situations that you don't want to share with them. A Carers Support Group is somewhere you can chat with other carers, who know what it's like.
The Alzheimer's Talking Point is an online discussion forum that provides support for people with dementia and their carers, by allowing you to "chat" over the internet with other people who understand what it's like for you.
Our Who Can I Talk To? section has more information.
Admiral Nurses
Admiral Nurses are skilled and experienced nurses who specialise in dementia. They can offer; information on the nature of the illness and what services are available; practical advice to help you cope; help to deal with your feelings and emotions. The Admiral Nursing Service is supported by Dementia UK, a national charity which aims to work in partnership with the NHS. This is a free service for family carers available in north Warwickshire. Contact 02476 321520. If you live elsewhere contact Admiral Nursing DIRECT on 0845 257 9406 or email direct@dementiauk.org.
Carers Assessments
As a carer you have the right to have your needs assessed by Social & Community Services. This is the chance to have someone outside your situation look at what you are doing for the person you care for, and suggest what support or services are needed to maintain your health and well-being (e.g. driving lessons, or training on how to lift properly). The Alzheimer's Society factsheet Looking after Yourself has further information.
Further Information
More information to support carers is contained throughout this site, for example:
