Embarrassing Illnesses

Being a carer isn’t an easy role. When you’re busy responding to the needs of others, it can deplete your reserves of emotional and physical energy and make it easy for you to forget your own health and mental wellbeing. Research on carers’ health shows that high numbers of carers suffer health effects through caring. And if you're trying to combine caring with a paid job or looking after a family, this can cause even more stress.

But putting yourself last on the list doesn’t work in the long-term. If you are caring for someone else, it’s important to look after yourself and get as much help as possible. It's in your best interests and those of the person you're caring for.

Look after your health 
Eat regularly and healthily. If you don’t have time to sit down for every meal, try to make time to sit down for at least one of your day's meals. Instead of relying on fast food snacks, go for healthier options, e.g. fruit.

Look after your emotional health 
It’s understandable if there are times when you feel resentful and then guilty for feeling like this. Combine that with exhaustion, isolation and worries about the person you’re caring for and it’s easy to forget about you. Don’t be hard on yourself â€" you’re human and those feelings are natural.

Look for support 
Friends and family may not always understand what you’re going through and it can be helpful to talk to people in the same situation. Carers UK has a lot of useful information on its website and runs a helpline. Visit the website at www.carersuk.org (links to external site) or call CarersLine on 0808 808 7777. 

Download the Carers UK booklet New To Caring (links to external site).

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers has a chatroom on its website and also runs 129 carers centres nationwide which provide information and advice and emotional support. For more information visit www.carers.org (links to external site).

Find out what benefits you're entitled to
You can find out the services available in your area by contacting your social services or local carers’ organisation or by visiting Carers UK's Finding Help page at www.carersuk.org.

Other people to contact: 

• Your GP and primary care team.
• Social services.
• For details of government services and information for carers, go to www.direct.gov.uk/carers (links to external site).   

For more on support for patients and carers:

• Macmillan
• Cancer Backup (both link to external sites).