Carers Week 2020 - Making Caring Visible

Carers Week 2020 takes place this week (8 – 12 June) and is an annual campaign which aims to raise awareness of caring, recognise the contribution that unpaid carers make and highlight the challenges they may face.

The aim this year is to Make Caring Visible. New research launched for this year's Carer's Week found that there are an estimated 13.6 million unpaid carers in the UK, which is 26% of the population. Carers will be looking after someone who needs extra help as the result of disability, age or physical or mental illness. Caring for someone can impact all aspects of life – health, relationships, work and finances. This year, the impact of the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic means that carers are facing even more difficult circumstances.

Carers Week gives us all a chance to recognise the contribution that carers make to their families and society and highlight the support available for them.

Many of you will know the huge impact that caring has had in my life over the past 5 years.

Professionally I've been working predominantly with elderly clients and their families and friends, supporting them through the challenges that often come in later life and after death.

Personally, I've been a carer for an elderly relative so know all too well the practical and emotional challenges that can come with a caring role.

I've seen numerous times how a carefully considered legal document has made a situation easier or saved time, stress and money. Sadly I've also seen the upset, stress, delay and unnecessary expense caused when a crisis situation occurs and no planning has been taken in advance. For example

• A Lasting Power of Attorney for finances means that you can access without delay a person's finances if they suddenly become unwell
• A Lasting Power of Attorney for health and welfare ensures that those you trust are involved in decisions about a person's medical treatment or care arrangements
• Where a person has lost capacity and doesn't have a Lasting Power of Attorney, we can apply to the Court of Protection to get authority to deal with their affairs
• A carefully drafted Will, Trust or management of a person's estate can potentially save thousands in care fees or tax
• Arranging and paying for care is a complex and often confusing process to go through, especially for "self-funders" who own assets in excess of ￡23,250 and are expected to pay for and arrange their own care. I've guided many people through the process and can help to sign post to organisations that can help to.

If you think you would benefit from a free, no obligation discussion to find out what options are available for you to consider please contact me on 01903 534526 or [email protected]

For more information about Carers Week and the events taking place visit https://www.carersweek.org/