Looking after your own health

If you are caring for a person with a terminal illness, it can be difficult to find time to think about your own health needs. However, by ignoring your own health needs you may become unwell yourself and be unable to provide the care and support that you want to.

If feeling stressed you may find you are eating too much or too little, drinking more alcohol, or smoking more. You may find you don’t have time for exercise or to make medical appointments when you need to. The caring role itself may also be putting a physical toll on your body, particularly if you are moving and handling the person you care for.  

Healthy eating is just as important to you as it is to the person you care for, but with so much else to do it is easy to slip into bad eating habits. Deciding what to cook each day is time consuming, so think about planning meals in advance and doing one big shop each week. Batch cooking and dividing into portions is another good way of cooking in advance. Consider online shopping which you can do at any time of the day or night.

Try to find opportunities for exercise and keeping fit. It will also help relieve stress, improve your self-esteem, and make you happier. 

Register as a carer with your GP surgery if you haven’t already done so. If your doctor knows you are a carer, they can ask you about any physical or mental health issues you may have because of caring. Think about arranging a health check. This is likely to involve checking your blood pressure, weight, and urine as well as a general discussion about your health. Your pharmacist can also help. If registered as a carer, the practice can try to be more flexible in terms of finding your appointments as well as referring you for further support using the Surrey carer’s prescription scheme. You may also be able to access a one- off GP carer’s break payment to support your own health needs, for example, to fund an exercise class. Ask your surgery for a registration form or download a form. 

Be mindful that you will be vulnerable to injury, particularly when you are moving and handling the person you care for. It is not dependent on age or how fit we think we are and the effects on our health can develop over a period of time. If moving and handling the person you care for make sure you get the right information and training. Action for Carers Surrey’s Moving and Handling service provides safe solutions for carers who carry out moving and handling as part of their role. This support is free. 

Our mental health is also very important when providing end of life care. So talking about your feelings and not bottling everything up is vital. You may have a very compassionate and understanding family member or friend that you can talk to, but you may prefer to talk to someone who is more independent, for example:

• your GP​
• carer lead at your local hospice
• Action for Carers Advisor on their helpline for further information or call them on 0303 040 1234. The advisor will also be able to link you up with a local support group which is a great place to talk with other carers or suggest an online forum if it is very difficult to get out to a support group