Carers
Many people, old and young, living in the borough are only able
to live independently in their own homes because of the care they
get from a relative, friend or neighbour. Use the links to the left
in the navigation to find more pages in this section.
We call you a carer if:
- You look after a friend or relative who needs support because
of old age, physical or learning disability or illness, including
mental illness
- You are the parent of a disabled child
- You are under 18 and look after a parent, brother, sister,
grandparent or other relative who needs support
You do not have to live with the person you care for and there
may be other people helping as well.
The kinds of care you may provide are wide ranging but it could
include things like:
- Help with day to day tasks like washing, making meals, shopping
and so on
- Caring for someone with a learning disability or mental health
problem
- Help paying bills and sorting out money
- Helping people get around the house or get out and about
Carer’s assessment and support
The Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000 Act has increased
carers rights to an assessment and support. Assessments are our way
of making sure that, if you are a carer, you get the support you
need to keep on giving this care.
Why an assessment is useful
There are a number of reasons why it is useful to have an
assessment:
- We can talk about the kind of support you need and how best to
provide this
- You can have your rights clearly explained and you can get more
information about services and support groups
- We can check that you are willing and able to provide this
care
An assessment is no guarantee that you will be offered a
service. Sometimes we can only help people with the greatest or
most urgent needs because there are not enough services for
everyone. But even if we cannot offer any services right now, it is
useful to know what we can do as things can change and we may be
able to help in the future. We can also put you in touch with other
people, such as voluntary groups, that may be able to help.
The assessment
Usually assessments are done in your own home. It may take more
than one visit. It is not always easy to say what your needs are
and how caring effects you in front of the person you are caring
for. So you should be offered an assessment in private or you can
ask for this.
How carers get an assessment
You can ask for an assessment at any time. You should also be
told you can have an assessment of your own when the person you are
looking after has their needs assessed or reviewed. If you are not
offered an assessment, you can ask for one.
Contact Adult Care or Child Care Services to ask for an
assessment, using the contact details in the right hand column.
Support offered
Rochdale Council's Social Care Services can arrange a number of
services to help you if you are looking after a relative or friend
with an illness or disability. To give you some idea, here are some
of them.
- Advice, assessing needs and arranging services
- Careline
- Day Care
- Home Care
- Equipment and Home Adaptations
- Meals
- Short stay or respite care
Other help