This year, Carers Rights Day is on Thursday 20 November – and this year’s theme is ‘Know your rights: use your rights.
To help you understand your rights, Carers First have highlighted key resources that are available to you. These resources can assist you in recognising your legal rights and entitlements, enabling you to thrive in your role as a carer.
Carers Rights Day is an opportunity for us to raise awareness of carers’ legal rights and entitlements, helping people access the support they are entitled to and empower them to speak up for themselves.
Carers First provides carers with a lifeline, with a dedicated team and skilled individuals to provide support, offering help and advice online, by phone, or face to face.
This Carers Rights Day, Carers First are raising awareness of the rights of carers, particularly when the person they care for is being discharged from hospital. They have a range of dedicated resources and information to support carers, available here.
Michelle, a Carer Support Adviser for Carers First, is also a carer herself and has shared her experience of looking after her mum while she was in hospital receiving treatment for blood cancer.
On discovering the support available from Carers First, Michelle said:
“I felt truly heard. I had time to talk about how I felt and the impact I was feeling. There were tissues, drinks and complete understanding. She gave me so much information and advice, not just for mum, which was my priority, but for me. She helped me realise that I cannot keep being there for my mum and my family if I don’t take time out.”
She added: “I was reflecting on my journey and knew I wanted to help other people in a similar position. I remembered Carers First and how I felt able to talk to them without judgement, I was worried people would think how dare I be so upset and worried, and that mum was the one with the real issues.
I looked on the Carers First website, applied for the Carer Support Adviser role and was successful! I was able to still provide support to mum around my new job role. I’d found a charity that understood how important it was for me to remain in my caring role but also work and find something for myself to focus on. Having firsthand experience of being an unpaid carer was useful to be able to listen and understand other carers.”
Find out more about the resources available from Carers First this Carers Rights Day here.
Online Help and Advice
Visit our online support section where we have provided advice and guidance on a range of relevant topics to help you in your caring role.