Find out what’s available to support you in your daily life, and around any care needs you have. This short animation explores different options for meeting your care and support needs, both from Cornwall Council, and outside it.
If you haven’t had an assessment yet, you can find out about that here. You can request an assessment for yourself, or for another adult.
You can also ask for help for a child.
Finding out what's available to support you
Whether you need a lot of help, or just a little bit of support, there’s something available to meet your needs.
You might need short term help, to help you get back on your feet after a hospital stay, or accident. You can find out about that on our Home from Hospital page.
If you have a longer term condition or disability, there is also support available. This will help you live as independently as possible, and focus on what is important to you. This can be for adults of any age, and any disability, including:
- physical or sensory disabilities
- mental ill health
- dementia or memory loss, or
- learning disabilities, as well as autism
We will always explore what you can do, and what support you already have, such as family and friends. Visit our Disabilities page.
Support from the local community
Many local voluntary organisations offer services to support people with health and care needs. This might include companionship, social activities, transportation, and help with day-to-day tasks. Engaging with these services can reduce feelings of isolation and enhance your well-being. Voluntary groups often provide flexible services. These can complement any support you have which is provided through Adult Social Care.
Examples of Voluntary Services:
- Community transport schemes for those who are unable to drive or use public transport
- Meal delivery services or assistance with shopping
- Social clubs and activities to reduce loneliness and provide companionship
- Support groups for specific conditions or age-related needs
- Accessing Additional Support
Voluntary and community services are often free or low-cost, making them an accessible way to enhance your care. Visit the Community Gateway
If you are assessed as having eligible care needs, there are a variety of organisations that offer help for people who want to be part of activities in their local community. Whether that’s a craft group, exercise class, gardening, and more. Visit our Day Opportunities page.
Living well at home
If you need support to manage your daily life, there are a number of options. For many people, staying in their own home is their preferred option. You can find out more about support to help you stay independent in your own home.
Falls prevention
As people age, they become more likely to have a fall, at home or when they are out and about. Those falls are also more likely to cause significant damage. There are many reasons that people fall, ranging from trip hazards at home, to low blood pressure, or deteriorating eyesight. We are working to support people to prevent falls, and help them identify the possible causes. There are a number of steps that people can take to reduce falls. Find out more on our Falls Prevention page.
Equipment and Technology
There is a huge amount of equipment and technology available to help you stay safe in your own home. This includes things like:
- lifeline alarms
- sensors and
- gadgets
known as Technology Enhanced Care. There is also non-electronic equipment, such as:
- riser chairs
- long-arm grabbers
The other sort of support is people coming into your home to support you to be more independent, for example helping you to get up in the morning. You can also find out more about changes that can be made to your home to make it safer, and easier for you to manage, like handrails and stair lifts. Find out more about solutions to Help You Stay Living at Home page.
If you need more support at home, there are other options available, where you can live independently, but with support on-hand to help you out. Visit our Accommodation and Housing Options page for more information.
If you can’t manage on your own at home, and need to have more involved care or support, then residential care might be a good option. You can find out more about residential care options below. Visit our Care Homes page for more information.
How much it costs and who will pay
There are many different ways to get the support you need. Some of it is freely available in the community, or provided by local voluntary organisations or groups. See the Community Directory. Some support must be paid for, but there are a variety of ways of organising that. Our Paying for Care section will help you explore the differences between a number of options:
- funding your care yourself, we call this ‘self funding’
- getting a Direct Payment to purchase the support you need. You can manage this yourself or have someone else manage it. Our support services provide a whole menu of different types support to enable anyone to manage a DP)
- Individual Support Funds (where your chosen provider works closely with you to meet your needs in a flexible way, controlled by you)
- Council-provided care, where we pay for and arrange the support that you need
These options are the same whether you’re paying for someone to help you get out and about, or for a residential care home – or anything in between.
Paying for care
You can check if you are eligible for financial assistance by taking a financial assessment.
Visit our Financial Assessment page
Visit our Paying for Care pagesCaring for someone else
Many people help out a friend, family member or neighbour, with:
- personal care
- finances and paperwork
- things around the home and more
without being paid for it. If you do these things, you are an unpaid carer, and there is support available for you to help you with what you’re doing. You may also be able to have a Direct Payment to meet your own needs as a result of the caring you do. Read more on our Carers pages.