Caring can have a significant impact on your own health – both physically and emotionally (and even financially).
You may feel you have no choice but to put the needs of your loved one first. If you are also juggling work and family commitments, finding time to eat healthily, exercise, socialise or even attend your own medical appointments may seem impossible.
If you are unable to leave the other person alone, you can end up feeling isolated and cut off from the world, which is likely to have a negative effect on your own mental health.
While it might sound daft, sometimes carers need to be taught to take care of themselves.
Looking After Me
This six-week course (one session per week lasting around two-and-a-half hours) will help you to find ways of looking after your own health and well-being while caring for someone else. You will learn how to manage your caring situation better and feel more confident and in control of your life.
The community-based course is led by two volunteers who have experience of caring and is open to any adult carer.
Topics covered include:
As well as the formal training, you will meet other carers.
For more information, contact your local EPP Cymru co-ordinator.
Learning for Living
Carers Wales offers a free online course – Learning for Living – to carers.
The programme helps carers to identify and articulate the often under-valued skills they have gained from their experience of caring.
Self-advocacy for carers
Many people struggle to speak up for themselves – and carers are no different. Perhaps you find it difficult to challenge the opinions or advice of health and social care professionals, even though you know the person who needs care and support much better than them.
Carers Wales has produced a self-advocacy guide which covers topics like:
- effective communication
- dealing with stress and guilt
- being more assertive
There are also short satellite guides which carers might find helpful:
- complaints
- mindfulness
- reflecting on events