Take care of your own mental, physical and emotional health so you can best support those you love.
Taking care of someone and prioritising their needs over your own can be a demanding task, both emotionally and physically. Stress, fatigue, loneliness, and financial concerns can intensify an already challenging situation, making it common to feel overwhelmed.
Here are some ways to help look after yourself:
Stay active.
Exercise and staying active, wherever possible, can help to lift your spirits – even pottering around the garden or walking to the shops helps. The NHS has some useful information about fitness for older people, including 10 minute workouts you can do in the home: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/exercise-as-you-get-older/
Keep up with your hobbies and activities if you can, to retain a sense of self and give your mind a way to unwind. Whether it’s knitting, crosswords, swimming, or meeting a friend for coffee, you need time to maintain a healthy balance in your life.
Talk to someone.
Talking to someone about how you feel is simple but can be very surprisingly effective for your well-being. Sharing your feelings can help to reduce isolation and might help you get another perspective on any issues you might have. Try talking to someone you trust about how you feel, even if it is difficult initially. You can also ask your GP whether they can give you information about finding a therapist.
There may be a local carer’s support group or centre nearby. Go to https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/get-support/local-support and choose your region and county or search for an organisation by name.
If you’re online, you can also chat to other carers and get support via online forums, such as:
- Carer’s UK Forum - offering support and understanding to the 6.5 million people caring in the UK
- Gransnet forum, a busy online community for carers over 50
- Age UK and Alzheimer’s Society also have lots of advice and support on their websites and are very useful resource.
Take a break from caring.
Respite care is when someone else steps in to take over the care so that you can have a proper break.
Respite care can mean different things, from extra help for a few hours to arranging a full holiday. The main types of respite care are:
- daycare centres
- home care from a paid carer
- a short stay in a care home
- getting friends and family to help
- respite holidays
- sitting services
Costs can vary widely depending on the type of respite care needed. To see if you qualify for payment towards respite care from your local council, you will need to have a Carer’s Assessment (see below) and a Care Needs Assessment.
There are also some charities that can offer financial assistance towards respite care:
- Carer’s Trust has grants of up to £300 for adult carers
- Turn2Us is a national charity offering financial support and grants
- Respite Association assists in the funding of respite care
Find out what you are entitled to.
As a carer, you are entitled to a Carer’s Assessment from your local council's adult social services department (find your local council here). This is a way for your council to look at your responsibilities and decide if there is a way they can help you.
The assessment will take about an hour, and someone from the council will ask you questions about your caring role and how it impacts your life. Which? Later Life has a useful guide about preparing for a Carer’s Assessment.
Following the assessment, your local council might be able to offer you some extra support, such as:
- organising some cover so you can take a break from caring (respite care)
- help with domestic tasks such as housework or gardening
- emotional support, such as counselling
- training about how to best care for someone, e.g. lifting safely
- advice about benefits for carers
Professional care packages can start very small – it can be as simple as coming around and having a cup of tea and a chat, helping with the shopping, or helping to tidy up.