Independent Age, a charity that looks after the interests of older people has published this excellent guide to support and resources available for unpaid carers:
information for carers
With Carer’s Week just finished we thought it would be good to focus on the help available to carers. Below is advice on what counts as unpaid care work and what carers are entitled to.
Even if you already receive some support for your caring responsibilities, you should check that you’re getting all the help you can. Our guides Caring for someone | Independent Age and Carer’s Allowance | Independent Age cover all the practical and financial help available to carer’s.
You can also contact our Helpline and speak to one our friendly advisers about the support available.
Are you a carer?
If you’re looking after someone regularly because they’re ill, disabled or can’t manage without your support, you may be a carer. Lots of people care for somebody else without realising that what they do entitles them to help from the government.
Our webpage Are you a carer? | Independent Age explains what activities count as unpaid care work and how to access support. The page also gives advice on how to balance your caring responsibilities with work, and how to share your responsibilities with others.
Get your free ‘Caring for someone’ guide
Getting help from the council as a carer
A carer’s assessment is one of the first steps towards getting help. You can arrange one for free by contacting the adult social services department of your local council. For more advice, visit Getting a carer’s assessment | Independent Age. It’s a chance for you to talk about your caring responsibilities and how they affect you. The council will then assess what kind of support you need.
Read our factsheet Getting help from the council as a carer | Independent Age to find out more about the support you can get. This includes:
- emotional support, such as counselling or help to relieve stress
- practical help with housework or gardening
- support to take part in leisure activities – for example, a gym membership
- breaks from caring
Get started with our free factsheet
Carer’s Allowance
Carer’s Allowance is one of the main forms of support available to unpaid carers. It is a benefit to top up the income of people that spend a significant amount of their time providing care for somebody else. For more information visit What is Carer’s Allowance? | Independent Age and get your free guide Carer’s Allowance | Independent Age.
When you apply for Carer’s Allowance, you may be told that you can’t be paid it because you already receive other benefits. Instead, you might be told that you have an underlying entitlement to Carer’s Allowance.
Our factsheet Underlying entitlement to Carer’s Allowance | Independent Age explains what underlying entitlement to Carer’s Allowance is, what extra benefits you could get and how to make a claim.
