Search

Mary Frances Trust (MFT) runs a range of groups and courses to support adults across Surrey.…

to see if you are entitled to a set number of free counselling sessions. Finding a registered counsellor or psychotherapist in your area. Contacting a charity such as Cruse Bereavement Care or your local hospice (who may also be able to provide details of local bereavement support groups). … If you prefer to get support from outside the family or your family network there are a range of different organisations and charities offering bereavement information both online and in print. These include: Cruse Bereavement Care Marie Curie Macmillan Cancer Support The Loss… but don't want to leave your home, so there are also several telephone support lines and web chats that you can use. These include Marie Curie , Samaritans , and Cruse Bereavement Care . The Brigitte Trust run free structured 8-week bereavement programmes with a professional facilitator for anyone…

Sessions in Guildford and Waverley

and pain-free as possible and involves managing often complex physical symptoms. It also ensures you, as their unpaid carer, get the emotional support that you need. End of life care also involves talking about what to expect towards the end of life: talking about what is important to the person… when first receiving a diagnosis. In particular, there is a lot of confusion about what is palliative care and what is end of life care. A life-limiting illness is an illness for which there is no cure, for example, motor neurone disease, dementia, or advanced cancer. Sometimes this is referred to as a terminal illness. Palliative care Palliative care is the treatment, care, and support for people with a life-limiting illness and their families and carers. Any treatment for the person you care for at this stage will be to manage their symptoms to ensure they have the best quality of life…

to understand. Ask for an interpreter if necessary. Ask for information about support groups and available emotional support for yourself and your family in your local area. Consider who and how you are going to tell others outside the immediate family, for example school, wider family and friends. How… As a parent carer there will be lots of things to think about when you are told your child has a life limiting or life threatening condition. Getting a diagnosis If you have just heard the news that your child has a life-limiting or life-threatening condition you will be in a state of shock… in the family, particularly any siblings? How can I make sure my child and family have as normal a life as possible? How can I cope physically and emotionally? A diagnosis should have been given to you via a face to face meeting in privacy and with someone there to support you. You should have been…

Local hospice The person you are caring for may have a key professional at a local hospice and they will understand how you are feeling as they meet many young carers. If you are caring for a sibling Christopher’s Children’s Hospice offers support to the whole family including sibling groups… carers which give you an opportunity to meet other young people in a similar situation. They may also offer fun days and evenings out including someone there to listen to your worries. They can also offer information to the rest of your family for example financial advice. Social care support Young… teaching support Allowing you to keep your mobile on in class in case of emergencies The Internet There are lots of charities and organisations that can help provide you with information about the illness of the person you care for and an opportunity to talk. Some of these charities have helplines…

at a particular time if they have an “impairment or disturbance of the mind or brain” for example because they are unconscious, have dementia or a brain injury, or a stroke and because of that impairment they are unable to do one of the following: Understand information relating to the decision Retain that information long enough to make the decision Take that information into account when making a decision Communicate the decision in any way The law says that people must be assumed to have capacity unless we can prove otherwise and we should give the person all the support they need to help… that a person who wishes to make what we feel is an unwise decision lacks capacity. Making an unwise decision is not the same as being ‘unable’ to make that decision. Can I make health and welfare decisions as their carer? If the person you care for is assessed by a health or social care…

If you have been caring for a number of years you may be feeling very isolated and would like to link up with other former carers in a similar situation. Contact your local hospice to find out about support groups for former carers, or contact Action for Carers in Surrey. You can also speak… their caring role to further use by exploring related volunteering opportunities. You can, for example, volunteer with Action for Carers in Surrey by helping out with administration, carer events, fundraising, or campaigning on behalf of carers. You might also consider working as a volunteer… information on the skills and qualifications needed for the jobs you are considering, as well as an online tool to help check out your skills. You can also go to nidirect or your local job centre for further guidance on getting back into the workplace as a carer. Surrey Care Trust is a local…

to feel embarrassed or awkward. Many family carers feel it changes the nature of the relationship with their loved one. A GP or district nurse can advise on what is available locally to help with their personal care. Training and support should be available when a family carer first helps the person… of reasons: pressure ulcers urinary tract infection (UTI) constipation heart failure cancer arthritis If the person’s mental capacity is impaired, for example, because of a UTI or dementia, it will become increasingly difficult for them to tell others that they are in pain or experiencing discomfort. Staff may also assume that challenging behaviour, such as shouting out, is part of the diagnosis, so it is important that you as a family carer, who knows the person well, look out for signs or indicators that the person is in pain as if not recognised and treated the person may become…

assessment. Specialist voluntary providers. There are a number of voluntary organisations and private care providers in Surrey that can help you to have a break. In particular Crossroads Care Surrey (in partnership with the NHS) can provide a free, end-of-life carer support service for carers and people affected by life-limiting illnesses. A palliative-care-trained carer support worker will take over the caring role, giving you, the unpaid carer, regular breaks. Crossroads also run a variety of social clubs for adults with disabilities, including dementia, which may help you to have a break… want less frequent but longer breaks enabling you to take a holiday, catch up on sleep, or pursue a hobby. Whilst having that break someone will need to look after the person you normally care for. This could be another family member, a care worker coming in to provide support in the home…