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Understanding Your Role as an Unpaid Family Carer in Bournemouth
👨👩👧👦 Being a carer is a role that many embrace with dedication and love. It involves providing support to the person you care for, who may be dealing with physical, mental, or age-related challenges. In the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) area, various supports and services are available to assist you in this important role.
Types of Unpaid Family Carers
👵 Elderly Carers: Often caring for a spouse or partner who has health issues related to aging.
🧒 Parent Carers: Parents who look after children with disabilities or long-term health conditions.
🤝 Adult Carers: Adults caring for other adults with disabilities, chronic illnesses, or mental health issues.
What Does a Typical Caring Role Look Like?
🏡 Caring roles can vary greatly but often include:
Support You Can Expect as a Carer
🤗 Emotional and practical support is essential for carers to maintain their well-being and continue providing care effectively. Here are some local resources available in the BCP area:
BCP Carer Support: They offer various services, including advice, information, and practical support tailored to carers’ needs. You can contact them at 01202 128 787 or visit their website.
Dorset Carers Card: This card offers discounts and benefits to carers across the county, helping to make life a bit easier. More information is available here.
Leonardo Trust: Provides help to carers in the form of grants, respite, and advice. Learn more about their services here.
Minstead Trust: Advocates for carers’ rights and provides representation to ensure their voices are heard. More details can be found here.
PramaLife: Offers emotional and practical support through befriending and mentoring carers. More about their services can be found here.
Swan Advocacy: Provides advocacy services to ensure that the rights and needs of carers are respected. Check their services here.
Local Services for Carers
🌐 BCP Adult Social Care: They can assess both your needs and the needs of the person you care for, providing access to necessary services. Visit their page here.
🌿 Health Advice and Support: For mental and physical health support, you can find local advice and resources here.
👵 Age UK Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset: Offers support specifically for carers of older people, providing advice and resources. Visit their site here.
🌻 Oakley Friends: Organised by Leonardo Trust, this group offers social activities for carers and the people they care for, helping to reduce isolation and build community. More on this here.
Conclusion
🌈 As a carer, you're doing a vital job. Remember, support is available, and you’re not alone in this journey. Utilise the resources listed, and don’t hesitate to reach out for the support you deserve. Whether it’s through local services, community groups, or dedicated carer organisations, help is at hand in the BCP area to ensure you and the person you care for have the best possible quality of life.
Email: contact@bridgit.care
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Once a month it's useful to reflect on how you're doing in different areas.
Just select an area of the care circle to update how you're getting on.
Ask Bridgit on WhatsApp 📱 is your go-to for caregiving advice, accessible anytime, anywhere. 🌍
Although it's a not a real person, Bridgit is equipped with the knowledge to support you. 📚
Simply add your phone number, message your queries - from caring for a relative to self-care tips, to get an instant answer. 💡
Are you looking for help in your caring role?
In a short conversation we'll learn a bit about you and the person you're caring for and then create a simple plan with:
📝 Insights into managing the specific condition of the person you're caring for.
🤝 Guidance on accessing and using these services effectively.
🌍 Links to online resources and communities for carers.
Need Help Making Your Home Safe?
Let's talk about how to make your home safer. We'll help you with:
🏠 Tips Just for You: We'll look at pictures of your house and tell you how to make it safer.
🔍 Find People Who Can Help: We'll share details of local services that might be able to help.
🌍 We'll show you where to find easy guides and tips on the internet to keep your home safe.
Looking for Wellbeing Support?
In our quick chat, we'll discuss your current engagement in physical activities, stress management practices, and hobbies that uplift you. We'll create a plan featuring:
🏃♂️ Suggestions for physical activities suited to your lifestyle.
🧘♀️ Tips on mindfulness and meditation, tailored to how often you can practice.
🎨 Ideas for hobbies and activities that can boost your mood and well-being.
Thinking About Getting Back to Work?
Let's have a quick chat to understand your current situation and your aspirations for returning to work. We'll create a concise plan that includes:
📈 Advice on balancing caregiving responsibilities with work.
🌐 Information on flexible working options and support for carers in the workplace.
📝 Tips on updating your CV and preparing for interviews.
Balancing Work and Care Responsibilities?
In our brief discussion, we'll explore how you can effectively manage both your professional life and caregiving duties. Your personalized plan will include:
⚖️ Strategies for achieving a work-care balance.
📅 Tips on time management and setting priorities.
🤝 Information on workplace rights and support for carers.
Navigating Financial Support & Benefits for Carers?
Join us for a brief chat to delve into the financial aspects of caregiving. We'll help you create a plan encompassing:
💰 Detailed information on benefits and financial support options specifically for carers.
📝 Step-by-step guidance on applying for these benefits.
🛠️ Tools and resources to help manage your finances effectively as a carer.
Considering Taking Time Out as a Carer?
In our short conversation, we'll discuss your need for a break from caregiving. We'll then formulate a plan that includes:
🏖️ Tips on how to plan for time off and respite care options.
🔄 Strategies for ensuring continuity of care during your absence.
🧘♀️ Suggestions for relaxation and rejuvenation activities.
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Our support tool captures data from you in order to create your personal support plan.
Through this tool we capture information such as the areas you'd like support with, medications and conditions you'd like advice with, and your location so we can find local events and services close to you.
By using our tool you are consenting for Bridgit Care (Part of Upstream Outcomes Ltd) to process your information in order to receive your personalised support plan.
Bridgit Care is an online platform designed to support unpaid carers by providing information and tools tailored to your needs, exactly when you need them.
Whether you're looking for advice, local resources, or practical guidance, our platform is here to complement - not replace - the in-person services available in your area.
Our goal is to help you navigate your caring role more easily by connecting you to the right information and support at the right time.
If you would like more information, please contact contact@bridgit.care
This tool is designed to help anyone that has somebody that relies on them. Whether that's a friend, neighbour or family member.
You may not identify as a 'carer' and that's fine. This tool is just here to help you navigate all the advice and guidance that's out there on the internet and connect you to the support you need in your local area.
You can access your report in seconds and start getting support straightaway.
We've built this tool to allow you to add content over time, track progress on how you're doing and also make sure you get targeted information to help.
This hopefully will help you spend less time searching for the support you need, and help free up your time.
Your report contains advice, support and guidance from trusted sources from around the UK. From organisations like the NHS, Age UK and Carers UK. The report is split into sections.
In the 'Support' area we provide you with local events, advice, support and services and ideas to try. You can add to this plan over time and share the areas you're struggling with (called 'Challenges') so that we can make sure the advice we provide is based on your needs.
In the 'Dashboard' you can update how you're doing in the different areas of your caring role and overall life, and track this over time. If supported in your area it also allows you to book in for a personal care coach call with our team, or have a live chat on any areas we can help.
In the 'Health' section you can add conditions or medications that you'd like to keep track off and see advice from the NHS on each area. You can use this to also track the medications and conditions of the person you're caring for.
In the 'Downloads' section we've produced some easy to read and accessible packs for you that you can download and use. Containing advice, templated and things to try. You can even print it out if you find it useful.
In the report you can sign up for regular email supports. You'll receive emails with support on the specific areas you've asked for help with as well as a monthly personalised list of upcoming events that you might like to go to.
If supported in your area you'll see options to book a chat, video or phone call with our team to talk about any areas you'd like support on. We're hear to listen and support you in any way we can.
Family carers around the UK already do so much to support the people they care for which in turn helps to keep our health and social care system running.
As a Social Enterprise Bridgit Care is committed to supporting the family carer community and receive funding for these service from government organisations and grants.
When you reach your report page you'll have the option to provide your email address. If you decide to provide it and submit your address to us, then you'll receive regular support emails from the Bridgit Care team with things like upcoming events, new caring advice or services At anytime if you decide you no longer want to receive support emails you can just click 'Unsubscribe' on any of the support mails.
You can also review our Privacy Policy for further information and please contact us if you have any questions or concerns please on our email contact@bridgit.care.
Within the Privacy Policy you will see specific information that relates to this Online Support tool, including details of the information we capture and how we use this information.
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We provide you with a share link for your report to send to others. This link is view only so that others can view the content but not make any edits.
This tool is completely safe to use and completely free.
The tool is being provided to you by either your local authority or NHS Trust, depending upon where you live.
All policies and Terms/Conditions are available at the bottom of the tools report for you to read so you can see how your data is protected.
We are sorry to hear you couldn't find the right help.
Our support tool is constantly updating, If there is something that you needed help with and you couldn't find it we would like to hear from you. That way, we can update the tool to help you and other carers.
You can either leave us some feedback (at the top of the tool) or send us an email at contact@bridgit.care
In the meantime, if supported within your region, and you need additional support please book a carer coach session with the Bridgit Care Team to talk through any areas you need help with
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