Help and support for adult family or friend carers

Supporting someone else is sometimes called caring. You are a carer if you provide (unpaid) support and care for someone who has an illness, disability, mental health problem, or addiction. Carers can provide all sorts of emotional and practical support.

Improving Lives Plymouth is commissioned by the council to deliver Plymouth's Caring for Carers service

About Caring for Carers

Caring for Carers understands how difficult it is to look after someone and can

• provide you with information and advice
• support you with carer assessments
• run drop-in and support groups with other carers
• organise leisure and social activities to give you a break
• run workshops and training events to help your learn new skills
• provide you with a Carers Passport Card
• send you regular newsletters to keep you informed

Caring for Carers can be contacted by emailing caringforcarers@improvinglivesplymouth.org.uk or calling 01752 201890.

Livewell Southwest

Livewell Southwest CIC also provides health and social care services for the people living in Plymouth. This includes mental health, physical health, and adult social care. In addition, they provide some community nursing and community therapy services in the South Hams and West Devon.

Support is available to you as a family and friend carer to access the care that you need in order to keep yourself in good physical and mental health. This will enable you to maintain your caring role, and, when appropriate, we can help you relinquish some aspects of your caring role.

For more information, please visit the Livewell Southwest website.

Digital resources for carers

Having the right information at the right time can make a significant difference to carers and those they look after. Developed with the specialist knowledge of national charity Carers UK, the Digital Resource for Carers provides carers with a wealth of practical, financial, and emotional support.

The platform hosts a range of carefully curated resources, e-learning modules, hands-on guides, and tools to help carers manage their caring responsibilities and look after themselves. It features Carers UK's care coordination app Jointly and covers areas such as health and wellbeing, practical support with caring, help with finances, and information on carers' rights, including workplace rights. You can also find information on how technology and home adaptations can provide peace of mind for you as a carer and support the person you care for.

We have teamed up with Carers UK to provide the digital resource to carers in Plymouth for free.

To create your free account, or to login please visit the Carers Digital website and use the code DRCA0204 to gain free access to the resources.