Supporting unpaid carers in Wiltshire
There are currently thousands of people identified as carers in Wiltshire, we wish to ensure that these people can achieve a healthy balance between their caring responsibilities and personal lives. We can offer much-needed practical and emotional support to unpaid carers and provide a range of support services.
Who is a carer?
An unpaid carer might assist with emotional, physical, financial, health and personal care for someone who is ill, disabled, older, has mental health concerns, or is experiencing addiction, and is not paid by a company or local authority to do this.
The sort of roles and responsibilities that carers provide varies widely. Such as, helping the person they care for get out of bed, providing personal care such as bathing, or helping them to cope with the symptoms of a mental illness and keeping them safe. Primarily, the cared-for person is a partner, family member or friend.
Am I a carer?
Many carers don’t see themselves as carers and struggle to self-identify. This can be for a variety of reasons. Carers UK have identified a few of these:
- 51% of carers take over a year to recognise their caring role, with over a third (36%) taking over three years to do so. Only a third (31%) recognise their caring role immediately.
- 71% of carers primarily see themselves as a family member or friend, which they say was a barrier to identifying themselves as a carer.
- 32% of carers who did not immediately recognise their caring role were never told that they were a carer.
- 53% of carers say their caring role developed gradually, so it took time to realise they were a carer.
Identifying your caring role can be the first step in accessing support. Read more about having a Carers Assesment.
The Carers Together Wiltshire Partnership
Carers Together Wiltshire is a partnership between Age UK Wiltshire, Community First, Alzheimer’s Support, Wiltshire Service Users Network, Citizens Advice Wiltshire and Wessex Community Action, under the umbrella, ‘Carers Together Wiltshire’. This partnership will allow us to provide tailored support to the thousands of people across Wiltshire identified as a carer.
OUR PARTNERS
