How to tell if you are a carer

Do you help out an adult relative, friend or neighbour who couldn’t manage on their own? If so, you are a carer and there is help and support available for you in Luton.

In England, millions of people provide unpaid care or support to an adult family member, friend or neighbour.

Caring can mean lots of different things such as helping someone with getting washed, getting dressed, eating, taking them to appointments or keeping them company when they feel lonely or anxious.

In April 2015 care and support changed for the better. Under the Government’s Care Act, carers had their rights put into law for the first time, allowing them to get the support they need for their own wellbeing.

It’s important not to confuse ‘carer’ with ‘care worker’. A care worker is trained and paid,
or working as part of voluntary work. They might work for a care agency, in a care home, for the NHS, or for a voluntary organisation.

Tell tale signs that you are a carer

 If any of the following apply to you, then you are a carer:

• you look after, or help to look after, an adult friend, neighbour or relative
• you’ve been juggling your job with your caring duties. You might even have given up, or considered giving up, your job
• you help someone with their day-to-day tasks such as washing, dressing, cooking or cleaning
• you help someone get to the doctor, you collect their prescriptions or get their shopping because they are unable to do these things themselves
• your own job, personal relationships, social life or leisure time has been affected by the help you have been providing

You might be one of the thousands of people in England who don’t even realise that they are a carer!

Luton’s carers are important!

We value the hard work of people like you. We know that caring takes up a lot of hours of your own time, and we know that sometimes it can be hard to balance your care responsibilities with your own life.
That’s why Luton has lots of services and help available, not just for the person you care for – but for you too – for your own wellbeing and to make your role as a carer easier on you. These services focus both on practical and on emotional support for you.

Carers have new rights

Under the Care Act, carers now have the right to an assessment, irrespective of whether we are already providing services for the person they care for.

Your carer’s assessment will help us to identify your own needs for support.

Follow this link to read more about your carer’s assessment.

Further reading

The ‘Being a carer’ section of our website will tell you all about some of the support available to you including:

• any benefits and allowances you may be able to claim
• assistance you may be able to get – such as help looking after the person you care for – so that you can have some time to yourself
• local organisations that offer reduced and free services to carers
• support groups and forums

These examples are not exhaustive and we understand that all carers’ situations are different, which is why your support will be tailored just for you.