Being an unpaid carer is a very unique role and you probably know more about the person you care for than anyone else. Sometimes it is difficult to be confident that someone else will do as good a job as you at looking after the person you care for. It is perfectly okay to ask for help sometimes.

There are many resources and services available that can help you have the important conversations with wider family members and services to ensure that any replacement care arrangements will be suitable and of benefit to you and the person you look after. You may not have considered the extent of your caring role and the effect it may be having on your own life.

Emergency Planning Toolkit

An Emergency Plan is a written document which lets people know what needs to be done to support the person you care for in an emergency, including if you are unable to carry out your caring role at short notice. For example if you are being admitted to hospital or you have a personal incident or accident.

Different arrangements for emergency planning are in place across Scotland. 

A helpful starting point for more information is ENABLE Scotland’s emergency planning toolkit which you can download from: www.enable.org.uk/get-support-information/families-carers/future-planning/emergency-planning/

For more information or guidance call Enable Scotland on 01698 737000 or visit www.enable.org.uk

Anticipatory Care Planning 

Anticipatory Care Planning is about thinking ahead and understanding the health needs of the person you care. It allows you to document their choices about future care. Many people with long term conditions or chronic health problems can benefit from having an anticipatory care plan (ACP). You can also complete an anticipatory care plan for a baby or young person. 

You can download the documents and frequently asked questions from: https://ihub.scot/project-toolkits/anticipatory-care-planning-toolkit/anticipatory-care-planning-toolkit/tools-and-resources/documentation-and-sharing/my-acp/

Power of Attorney

Power of Attorney lets you plan what you want another person to do for you in the future, should you become incapable of making decisions about your own affairs.  It’s a written document that lets you give legal authority to other people i.e. your attorney(s), to make decisions on your behalf. It lists all of the specific individual powers you wish your attorneys to have. 

For further assistance visit: www.publicguardian-scotland.gov.uk/