Carer support and advice (support and advice for unpaid carers of older people)

What is carer support and advice?

Millions of people in the UK look after an older partner, parent, relative or friend, often without thinking of themselves as a 'carer'. Caring can be deeply rewarding, but it can also be exhausting, isolating and worrying — especially when looking after someone with dementia, frailty or a long-term illness.

Carer support and advice is the help available to you, the carer, rather than only to the person you care for. It includes practical guidance, emotional support, information about benefits and services, help to plan ahead, and a break from caring (respite). The aim is to protect your own health and wellbeing, because that matters in its own right and because the person you care for relies on you.

A central part of this is the carer's assessment. In England, if you provide regular care, you have a legal right to ask your local council for an assessment of your own needs — separately from the person you look after — to see what support could help. This is a right, not a favour, and it does not depend on the other person's finances or care arrangements.

Specialist support also exists, such as Admiral Nurses (from Dementia UK) for families facing dementia, and national charities like Carers UK and Age UK. This guide explains what is available and how to seek it, not which service to choose.

Types, options & approaches

There may be different ways to do this. The right approach depends on the clinical question and your circumstances.

Options at a glance

These are the main approaches described in this guide. The right option depends on the diagnosis, your goals and what your clinician thinks is safe.

Preparing for your appointment

• You do not need to qualify or prove anything to ask for support — being a regular, unpaid carer is enough.
• Before a carer's assessment, jot down a typical day and week, and the tasks you do, including at night.
• Note how caring affects your own health, sleep, work, money, relationships and free time.
• Think about what would make the biggest difference — a regular break, help in the home, or someone to talk to.
• List any worries about the future, including emergencies and what would happen if you could not care.
• Gather details of the person you care for, but remember the assessment is about your needs.
• Consider taking someone with you, or asking for the assessment to be at a time that suits you.

What happens

Getting support usually starts with a conversation — with your local council, a carers' organisation, a charity helpline, or a specialist such as an Admiral Nurse. They will listen to your situation and what you are finding hard, and explain what help is available.

If you ask your council for a carer's assessment, someone will talk with you — at home, by phone or online — about how caring affects your life: your health, sleep, work, finances, relationships and the time you have for yourself. It considers the impact on the whole family. The aim is to agree what support could help you keep caring while protecting your own wellbeing, which might include respite, practical help, equipment, training, or support for your emotional health.

Charities and helplines can advise on benefits, arranging care, planning ahead and your rights, and connect you with other carers. Specialist dementia support can help with complex situations and planning for the future. Throughout, the focus is on you as a person, not only on the care you give.

Is this appointment right for me?

A good consultation should explore whether it's the right choice for you now — including reasons to wait or consider something else.

Before you decide

Use this as a shared-decision checklist. The aim is not just “can this be done?”, but whether it is right for you, now, with the risks and alternatives clearly understood.

The real risk here is carers neglecting their own health until they reach breaking point. Caring is strongly linked to stress, low mood, isolation and physical ill-health, and many carers put themselves last. The signs to take seriously include constant exhaustion, low or hopeless mood, resentment or guilt, withdrawing from others, and feeling you cannot go on. Ask for a carer's assessment and support early — well before a crisis — and tell your GP how you are.

Published figures to discuss

This is supportive and advisory rather than a procedure, so adverse-event rates do not apply. What is well established is that caring carries real risks to carers' mental and physical health, and that unsupported caring increases the chance of burnout and crisis; the size of this varies with the situation and support available rather than being a fixed figure. We therefore give no numerical rates.

These are literature figures, not a personalised prediction. Your own risks and likely benefits depend on your circumstances, your health, and how your care is carried out and followed up.

What happens afterwards

This is ongoing support rather than a one-off event, so 'afterwards' means how support is put in place and reviewed as your situation and the needs of the person you care for change.

• Mixed feelings about accepting help, including guilt or relief.
• Needing time to adjust to having others involved in care.
• Support being built up gradually rather than all at once.
• Ongoing ups and downs as the situation changes over time.

Aftercare

• Use the support and breaks offered; rest is what keeps you able to care.
• Look after your own health — keep your own GP appointments and screening.
• Stay connected with friends, family or a carers' group to avoid isolation.
• Ask for a review if your situation or the person's needs change.
• Make sure benefits and entitlements are claimed and kept up to date.
• Have an emergency plan for what happens if you are suddenly unwell.
• Tell your GP if you are struggling, exhausted or feeling low.

• A request for a carer's assessment from your local council
• Contact details for Carers UK and, for dementia, the Admiral Nurse helpline
• A note of any benefits to claim, such as Carer's Allowance
• Details of local respite, day care or sitting services
• An emergency plan if you cannot care unexpectedly
• Your own GP appointment if your health is suffering

⚠ Get urgent help if…

• Feeling you cannot go on, or thoughts of harming yourself — seek urgent help now (call 999 or the Samaritans on 116 123).
• Constant exhaustion, low or hopeless mood, or losing interest in everything.
• Becoming withdrawn, isolated or cut off from support.
• Your own health being neglected, with missed appointments or worsening conditions.
• Resentment, anger or fear that the situation is becoming unsafe for either of you.
• A sudden change in the person you care for, such as new confusion, which may be delirium needing urgent assessment.
• Relying on alcohol or sleeping tablets to cope.

Who to contact: your clinician, clinic or test provider first (keep their number to hand). For urgent advice when you can't reach them, call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

General guidance — it doesn't replace the specific advice your psychiatrist gives you.

Results & realistic expectations

Good carer support means you can continue caring in a way that is sustainable, with your own health and wellbeing protected, the right practical help in place, and less isolation. A carer's assessment should leave you clearer about what support you can have and how to get it.

Support cannot remove the difficulties of caring or guarantee a particular package of help, and what is available varies by area. What it can do is share the load, value you as a person in your own right, and help prevent the crises that come from carers being left unsupported.

Caring needs change over time — often increasing as a condition such as dementia progresses — so support is not a one-off. Plans should be reviewed regularly and stepped up in difficult periods. Planning ahead for the future and for emergencies makes caring more sustainable and reduces the risk of sudden crises.

Related tests, treatments or support

Carer support sits alongside the care and treatment of the person you look after, such as dementia care, management of distress and behaviour changes, sleep problems and physical health. Where the person you cared for has died, bereavement support can also help with the loss of the caring role itself.

Follow-up & long-term care

Support should be reviewed as your circumstances change, with a clear route back to your council, charity or specialist for more help. Your GP can keep an eye on your own health, and an emergency plan should set out what happens if you are suddenly unable to care.

• Keep your own health appointments, screening and treatment up to date.
• Take regular breaks and accept respite to avoid burnout.
• Stay connected with other carers and sources of support.
• Review your support and benefits as needs change.
• Keep an up-to-date emergency plan in case you cannot care.

Repeat, follow-on and what comes next

• Support needs change over time and usually increase as a condition such as dementia progresses, so plans need regular review.
• An initial assessment may need revisiting as circumstances or the carer's own health change.
• What is available varies by area, so the plan may be adjusted to local services.
• Extra support is often needed during crises or transitions, such as a move into care.

Ask what happens if the result is unclear or needs repeating, and what is included if further tests or follow-up are needed.

What good aftercare looks like

• A clear support plan and a route back for review as needs change.
• Attention to the carer's own physical and mental health, including their GP.
• Access to respite and practical help, not just information.
• An emergency plan for what happens if the carer cannot care.
• Signposting to specialist support, such as Admiral Nurses for dementia, where relevant.

What affects the cost

Costs vary a great deal between people and providers, and we don't publish prices. What matters is understanding what drives the cost and making sure your quote is complete. The main things that affect it:

• Whether support is from the council, NHS or charities (often free) or arranged privately.
• The type and amount of practical help or respite needed.
• Whether any services are means-tested or chargeable in your area.
• Whether specialist support, such as private dementia nursing, is used.
• Counselling or emotional support, if sought privately.
• Any reports or advocacy needed to access services or benefits.

• Which support is free and which is charged for or means-tested.
• The cost and arrangements for any respite or home care.
• Fees for any private specialist or counselling support.
• What is included in an assessment or support package.
• Whether home visits are available and at what cost.
• How to access urgent help or a review if your situation changes.

On the NHS? Carer support comes from councils, the NHS and charities; a carer's assessment is a free legal right, while some practical services may be charged for or arranged privately.

You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including reports, follow-up and what happens if the result is inconclusive — before you decide.

Consent traps and marketing red flags

These are not small details. They are often where patients lose choice, time to reflect, or realistic expectations.

Choosing a specialist safely

• Check the psychiatrist is on the GMC Specialist Register for this area.
• Make sure they work at a CQC-registered service, and look for membership of the relevant Royal College or professional body.
• You're entitled to time to consider and to have your questions answered before you agree — the psychiatrist who looks after you should explain it, not a salesperson.
• Be wary of pressure: time-limited offers or deposits taken before you've had time to think are red flags, not bargains.
• You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including any follow-up — before you decide.

How Vuemedics verifies every consultant →

Take this to your consultation. A good psychiatrist will welcome every one of these.

• How do I arrange a carer's assessment, and what could it lead to?
• What practical help and respite might be available to me?
• What benefits, such as Carer's Allowance, could I be entitled to?
• What specialist support is there for the condition I'm dealing with, such as dementia?
• How do I plan for an emergency if I suddenly couldn't care?
• Who do I contact if I'm struggling or reaching breaking point?
• Are you on the GMC Specialist Register for this area, and which Royal College or professional body are you a member of?
• Will you be the psychiatrist who carries out my appointment, and who looks after me afterwards?
• What are the risks for someone like me, and how often do your own patients have a problem or need it repeated or redone?
• What does a realistic result look like — and what can this appointment not achieve?
• What are my options, including waiting, doing nothing for now, or choosing a different approach?
• Can I have written information, results and aftercare instructions in a format I can use, including any accessibility or communication support I need?
• What is the total cost in writing, including any follow-ups, and how much time do I have to decide?

Find a verified psychiatrist for carer support and advice

Every consultant is GMC-checked and independently reviewed. Search by postcode and distance, or switch to a map. Ordered by rating, relevance and recency — never by who pays.

How we made this page

Medically reviewed by a GMC-registered consultant. Written in plain English, checked against NHS, NICE, GMC and relevant Royal College / specialist-society guidance, and kept under review. No clinic paid to appear on this page, and we publish no pricing. This is general information to help you prepare — it is not a substitute for advice from your own clinician. How we review our guides →

Source hierarchy: UK regulator and NHS/NICE guidance first, then relevant Royal College or specialist-society guidance, then peer-reviewed evidence for procedure-specific figures where available.

Sources & standards: NHS — Help and support for carers Carers UK Dementia UK — Admiral Nurses and the carer's assessment GOV.UK — Carer's Allowance Age UK — Advice for carers NICE NG150 — Supporting adult carers

Reviews reflect patients' experience of care, not clinical outcomes. For procedure volumes and outcome data see PHIN.

Last medically reviewed 2026-09-21. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Report an error in this guide.