Carers

Substance misuse harms a person’s health. Dependence occurs when there is physical and/or psychological addiction, and the person will have withdrawal symptoms if they do not use the substance. Their lives are dominated by getting and using the substance. People use many sorts of substances. These can be legal (alcohol, tobacco, and solvents), or illegal (cannabis, heroin and cocaine). Some prescribed drugs are addictive (e.g. diazepam). Substance misuse and dependence is increasing in the UK, especially among the young.

Who is a carer?

A carer is someone who, without payment, provides help and support to a partner, child, relative, friend or neighbour, who could not manage without their help. This could be due to age, physical or mental illness, addiction or disability.

The term carer should not be confused with a care worker, or care assistant, who receives payment for looking after someone.

A young carer is a child or young person under the age of 18 carrying out significant caring tasks and assuming a level of responsibility for another person,which would normally be taken by an adult.

Anyone can become a carer; carers come from all walks of life, all cultures and can be of any age.

Many carers do not consider themselves to be a carer, they are just looking after their mother, son, or best friend, just getting on with it and doing what anyone else would in the same situation.

Carers don’t choose to become carers: it just happens and they have to get on with it – if they did not do it, who would and what would happen to the person they care for?

For more information, help and advice for carers visit www.carers.org. If you are caring for an adult with alcohol and/or drug issues, contact us to see how we can help.

As a carer you may notice things about the person you care for:

sudden changes in mood from happy and alert to sullen and moody
aggressive or irritable behaviour which is out of character
a loss of interest in school, work, sport or other activities
unusual sleep patterns or difficulty in sleeping
unusually secretive and evasive behaviour or lying
money going missing or belongings being sold
the person is more concerned with getting their substance
they are less interested in dealing with other things
use of room deodorisers and incense
anger if confronted about their substance use
they are more often intoxicated, or appear to be
under the influence of something
they can be tired, irritable and looks less well
less interested in every day things
they are unable to say ‘no’ and have a strong desire for the substance
using more and more of the substance to get the same effect
involved in criminal activity
anxious, depressed or shows symptoms of other mental health problems

As the carer you may feel:

frustrated and hurt
unsure how to help
concerned for the person’s safety and wellbeing
worried about what will happen in the future
angry if your help and advice is not accepted
afraid the police will be involved
frightened by the person’s behaviour
feel that the person is beyond help
worried about the effects on the rest of the family
worried about financial consequences

Don’t forget to look after yourself as well !

Share your worries with trusted friends and family members
Don’t bottle your feelings up – there is nothing wrong with a good cry
Try and keep in touch with friends
Go and see your own doctor if you cannot sleep, are exhausted, anxious or depressed
Make sure that you find time for yourself and do some simple exercise

Paul Burstow MP, Minister for Care Services, has announced a consultation on what the Government should prioritise to support carers from 2011-2015. This will focus on how best to deliver the five goals for carers in the existing Carers’ Strategy, launched in 2008. The overarching vision is that by 2018: “carers will be universally recognised and valued as being fundamental to strong families and stable communities. Support will be tailored to meet individuals’ needs, enabling carers to maintain a balance between their caring responsibilities and a life outside caring, while enabling the person they support to be a full and equal citizen.” The five areas that are being focussed on to achieve this are:

carers will be respected as expert care partners and will have access to the integrated and personalised services they need to support them in their caring role
carers will be able to have a life of their own alongside their caring role
carers will be supported so that they are not forced into financial hardship by their caring role
carers will be supported to stay mentally and physically well and treated with dignity
children and young people will be protected from inappropriate caring and have the support they need to learn, develop and thrive, to enjoy positive childhoods and to achieve against all the Every Child Matters outcomes

The Government are asking for responses by 20-09-10 so that the Department of Health can use the feedback to inform the Spending Review which will set out spending plans for 2011-15.

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers will be holding discussions and surveys on this to get your suggestions.