Services for Carers
Last updated: 07/02/2013
Add to My Bookmarks
Subscribe
This section outlines a number of services which carers may find
useful. For information on services to suit your individual needs,
contact the Cornwall Carers Service on
01872 266383.
Personal budgets
Following an assessment from Adult Care and Support, the person
you care for may be entitled to a personal budget. This is a sum of
money given to them by Adult Care and Support so they can buy their
own support services to meet their assessed needs. Personal budgets
give people more choice and flexibility to purchase exactly the
services they need, at a time to suit them.
People use their personal budgets in a number of different ways,
including employing a personal assistant, organising practical help
in the home, or taking part in an activity. Personal budgets must
be spent on meeting an assessed eligible social care need.
For more information and an initial assessment, contact Adult
Care and Support on 0300 1234 131, or go to our personal budgets
page.
Carer’s personal budget
Through completion of a carer assessment, carers may be able to access
a personal budget for themselves. This means they may be able to
access some money which will enable them to remain in their caring
role for longer. This budget can be paid to carers through a direct
payment, and can be paid in one lump sum, or through smaller more
regular amounts. The payment of a carer’s personal budget is not
considered as income for welfare benefit and tax purposes.
The amount of money allocated in a carer’s personal budget will
depend on the needs and outcomes identified during the carer
assessment.
Jobcentre Plus
Your local Jobcentre Plus office offers help and advice for
carers wishing to enter or return to employment. Advice on benefits
for carers, and the person they support, is also available.
There are Jobcentre Plus offices in Helston, Penryn, Penzance,
Truro, St Austell, Bodmin, Bude, Launceston, Liskeard, Newquay and
Redruth. To contact your local office, ring 0845 604 3719.
Health Services
The NHS provides a wide range of community and hospital-based
services for people with health conditions, including people with
mental ill health, learning and physical disabilities, and
dementia. Contact details for the Community Mental Health Teams,
Adult Learning Disability Service, and Memory Assessment Service
can be found in the community contacts directory.
There are many other services in Cornwall that carers may find
useful, including adult speech and language therapy, the Continence
Promotion Service, Macmillan nurses and the Cornwall Stroke
Service.
For information about these and other services, contact
Carers
Direct on 0808 802 0202, or the PALS Team (Patient Advice
and Liaison Service) on 01872 252793 and they will be able to
advise.
Meals at home
There are a number of organisations in Cornwall that deliver
fresh or frozen meals to people at home. For information about meal
providers in your area, you can contact Adult Care and Support on
0300 1234 131, Age UK on 01872
266388, or DIAL Cornwall on
01736 759500.
Day services
If the person you care for has a personal budget, they can use
it for day-time activities, for example at a day centre.
For more information, look at advertisements locally, or
contact:
Short breaks
Short
breaks are designed to give carers a break from their caring
role. To see if you are able to access a short break, you will need
to have a carer needs assessment.
Employment, training and work experience opportunities
Adult Care and Support can help people with learning
disabilities access a wide range of day time activities including
voluntary and paid work. Contact Employability Cornwall on 01872 324454, or
go to our Adult Care and Support at a glance page.
Equipment to help with daily living
Occupational therapists can advise on equipment to make daily
living tasks easier to manage. There are also specialist social
workers to advise people who have sight or hearing loss. For
further information, contact us on 0300 1234 131, or go to
AskSara, which gives
free, impartial on-line advice on aids and equipment.
Adaptations to your home
Occupational therapists can advise on home adaptations to enable
people to continue living independently. If you are a carer, they
can advise on how to lift or transfer the person you care for
properly. For further information, please contact Adult Care and
Support on 0300 1234 131, and ask for a free copy of our leaflet
‘Home Adaptations’, or go to our Home Adaptations page.
Handyperson schemes
These schemes provide help with household maintenance and
repairs for people on a limited income, who lack the mobility or
confidence to tackle them. The scheme is supported by Cornwall
Council. See Handyperson scheme.
Housing advice
Contact Cornwall Council Housing on 0300 1234 161, or go to our
Housing page.
Emergency communication systems
Cornwall Council’s Lifeline enables the person you look after to
communicate with staff manning a central alarm system 24/7. The
system is available for a small charge, and in some cases,
financial help may be available. Please see Lifeline help
and reassurance.
For further information, contact 01872 224521. Age UK also run an Aid
Call Scheme for older people, and can be contacted on 01872
266388.
Carers emergency card scheme
If you worry about what would happen to the person you care for
if you were unable to be there in an emergency, this scheme could
help. Together with the person you care for, you make a contingency
plan, and then register it with Cornwall Lifeline. They will make
sure the plan is put into place when it is needed. For further
information, please contact 01872 324369.
Safe Places Scheme
The Safe
Places scheme helps people with a learning disability in
Cornwall deal with any incident that takes place whilst they are
out and about in their local community. Stickers are issued to
establishments that sign up to the scheme, and people with a
learning disability have a card with emergency contact details on
it. Staff at the safe place will assist anyone with a card who goes
to them for help. For more information, contact 01872 323641.
Changing Places
Cornwall has 10 Changing Places toilet facilities which
are specially designed for people with disabilities, and include an
adult sized changing bench, and hoist system. For more information,
contact 01872 322533.
Disabled person’s parking badge
At a small cost, Cornwall Council can supply a ‘blue badge’ to
people who are registered blind or have limited mobility. This
allows disabled people to park closer to their destinations,
whether they are a driver or passenger. For further information,
please contact 0300 1234 121, or go to our Blue
badge page.
Care homes and care homes with nursing
If you, or the person you care for, are considering moving into
a care home, a social worker can discuss fully all the options open
to you. For further information, please contact Adult Care and
Support on 0300 1234 131, or go to our Residential
care for adults page.
Family Information Service (FIS)
Run by Cornwall Council, FIS provides up-to-date information,
assistance and advice on services for children and families in
Cornwall, including childcare, breakfast and after school clubs,
children’s centres, toy libraries, parent and toddler groups, and
holiday activities. Contact 0800 5878191, email fis@cornwall.gov.uk or look at the
FIS website.
Links to websites about carers issues
Carers
direct
On the Carers direct website you can find information about:
Also:
Back to Services for adult carers leaflet.