Are You a Carer?
Do you look after someone you love or care about?
If the answer is yes, you may not think about yourself as a carer. This is something we often do without question, for family members or close friends. A carer is defined as anyone who cares for a family member or friend who could not manage without their support for example, supporting someone with a physical disability or long-term health condition, by helping with their shopping, cleaning their home or providing emotional support. The care you provide should be unpaid. At some point in our lives 3 in 5 of us will become a carer. It can happen at any age.
Examples of carers:
- Adult carers – an adult caring for another adult such as a spouse, partner, friend or relative
- Parent carers – an adult who cares for an ill or disabled child
- Young adult carers (age 18- 25) and young carers (up to 17) – a child or young adult who is carrying out significant caring tasks, for example for a family member.
Caring for someone can be rewarding, but it can also be challenging, tiring and isolating. At Littledown Surgery, we try to support our carers, in conjunction with the team at CRISP Carers Support Service.
Join our Carers Register
Our Carers lead Karen Snell is on hand to provide you with help and information and to assist you in registering with Carers Support. If you would like to join our register of carers, please call in to reception where you can pick up one of our registration forms.
Upon receipt of your completed form the Surgery will add you to our register and, with your consent forward your details to the BCP Council CRISP Carers Support Service who will be able to provide you with information and advice for Carers and how to access support and other services.
For further information and support, visit the BCP Council CRISP Carers Support Service website or the Carers page of the Bournemouth Borough Council website.
Get a Break from Caring
It will help you and the person you care for to stay healthy if you get enough rest and a break from each other now and again. There are local day activities for carers, grants available for short breaks and ways to get a longer break if you need it. There is a subsidised service for replacement care if the person that you care for cannot be left alone.
Telephone the carers team on:
01202 458204
Free Flu Vaccination
Carers are entitled to a free flu vaccination each Autumn, please ask at reception.
Cancer
Do you look after someone with cancer? This leaflet may be of interest to you:
Carer ID
Have you got your Carers Card yet
It’s not just about discounts; it’s peace of mind in your caring role, offering exclusive benefits and support tailored for you. Check the links in our bio to see what’s available in your area.
Carers Identification Form
Please download and complete the, Carers Identification Form; once completed, please hand the first page to a member of Staff
COVID-19 Carers Information
Please download this leaflet: Primary Care Numbers for Carers
***Dorset Care Services Directory***
We have created a New Page where you can view/download the Dorset Care Services Directory. Please navigate here: Directory
Carers Coffee Morning
There is a carers group in the practice and we hold coffee mornings at the surgery every couple of months. You will be able to meet other people who are looking after somebody and talk to our carers leads, Angie Chafer or Karen Snell.
**Due to COVID restrictions we are unable to hold our Carers Coffee Mornings, as soon as restrictions are lifted these will resume.**
Our next Carers Coffee Morning, the date TBC. Please come along if you look after someone who can’t manage on their own.
Do you help a family member, friend or neighbour who needs support because the person is:
- Is frail
- Has a long term health condition
- Has a physical disability
- Has a learning disability
- Has a chronic illness
- Has a mental illness that means they need support to cope
- Has a substance misuse problem with drugs or alcohol
Your Doctor needs to know if you are caring for someone. You or the person you care for might need extra support for example if you need to go into hospital for your own needs or you are unwell. Carers have extra health risks for example back and neck injuries, stress related conditions, recurrent viral conditions and nutritional problems.
Help and Support
There is help and support if you are a carer, you can speak to someone about caring by telephoning NHS Carers Direct on 0808 802 0202.
Advisors on the service will call you back if necessary. They speak over 100 different languages.
If you need help with practical tasks of caring, telephone Bournemouth Social Services (Care Direct) on 01202 454979. You are entitled to a carers assessment, this is a meeting with a Social Worker who will look at the services you might benefit from to help you.
Join Your Local Carer's Information Service
This service will send you a regular newsletter about services and support available for carers including those which help you get a break from caring. Many services are free even if you have private funds. You may miss out on things that you are entitled to if you do not join this service, it is free to join.
Telephone the Carers Team on 01202 458204 and ask to join the carers information service, or look on their website (www.bournemouth.gov.uk/SocialCareHealth/Carers/CarersServices.aspx)
You or the Person Your Care for May be Entitled to Benefits
Some benefits are not means tested so even if you have private funds you may still be able to claim. Get advice from NHS Carers Direct 0808 802 0202, or ask at your local Citizens Advice Bureau or the Department of Work and Pensions.
Planning Ahead
Plan ahead, so that if you have an emergency or are unwell the person that you care for will be looked after. You can register for the Carer’s in Crisis Service. You need to do this now, rather than when you have an emergency as registration can take 3 to 4 weeks. Once the plan is set up you will have the peace of mind of knowing that help is just a phone call away if you ever need it
Useful Contact Details
- Bournemouth and Poole Carers Team: 01202 458 204
Ask for: Carers in Crisis Registration Service
Visit the Bournemouth and Poole Carers Website - Littledown Surgery Carers Leads: 01202 309 500
Angie Chafer and Karen Snell
- Bournemouth Social Services: 01202 454 979
- NHS Carers Direct: 0808 802 0202
- Visit NHS Carers Direct Website