Maintaining your health and wellbeing provides the energy and capacity to navigate your caring role and other parts of your life such as family and work.
Good health and well-being means that you can provide the best care to your loved one and yourself.
Non-urgent advice: NHS Better Health
The NHS Better Health site is a great source of information promoting healthy life styles changes and practices.
The site’s Mental Well-being page provides tips on Mind Plans, Self-Help CBT Techniques, Meditation, Sleep and Mindfulness. Introducing some of these techniques and practices into your day to day life, can help improve your mental and physical well-being, helping you to cope better with the every day challenges faced when providing care for someone.
Take a Break
Everyone deserves time out. You may care for a relative or are in need of care yourself. Taking a break from your usual routine can do the world of good.
The main types of respite care are:
– Homecare from a paid carer
– Short stay in a care home
– Getting friends and family to help
– Respite holidays
– Sitting services
The NHS have a great wealth of information on respite for carers, you can also find support on the Staffordshire County Council site .
When you’re caring for someone it can be easy to keep putting their needs before your own. Taking a break is essential for keeping your own well-being on track.
Family Holiday Charity has breaks at holiday sites, or grants to help with the cost of a holiday, for low-income families.
You need to be referred by your social worker, GP or health visitor, or by a charity or other welfare agent.
Family Fund has grants towards the cost of holidays for families on a low income who are caring for a child with a disability or serious illness.
MindforYou offers supported holidays in the UK for people who are living with dementia and their carers to enjoy together.