Help and advice for new carers
Many people find ‘the system’ complicated and difficult to understand and if you are trying to balance caring with work and home life it can be exhausting. Carers UK’s guide, Looking After Someone, offers ten top tips for people new to caring: 1 Get the right advice and information. Carers UK Adviceline experts can help to unravel the most complex situation. 2 Lean how to cope with feelings of guilt. Talking to other people who understand your feelings will help. Many carers feel guilty that they could have done more at an earlier time. 3 Be assertive with professionals. Many people are frightened to speak up if a professional person isn’t doing what they think they should be doing. Speak up and value yourself as a carer. 4 Take control of difficult conversations. It takes courage and patience to have a difficult conversation with a family member or a friend. It’s important to have those hard conversations – perhaps about mental capacity and Power of Attorney – before it’s too late. 5 Look after your own needs. Caring always involves an element of putting your own needs aside but it’s important to consider your own needs so you can carry on caring. Make sure you get all the support you can to take a break. 6 Recognise the signs of stress. Stress can creep up on you and you may feel unable to cope; talking to other people who understand can help. 7 It’s often very emotional to have to make decisions about a loved one’s life. It’s better to plan ahead for situations which may arise – research care options before you need them. 8 Keep relationships alive. Illness can make relationships suddenly very different. If a partner has a stroke or develops dementia, it will be life-changing for you both. Try to talk honestly to each other about your feelings and get help if you need it. 9 Adapt to changing circumstances. Caring means you have to accept different circumstances and it can be hard to try to focus on a relationship when there are so many practical details to cope with. 10 Keep a sense of humour. Nothing relieves tension better than a good laugh. Carers often say that laughing helps them through the most stressful situations.