Older Age Health

Social Care Support

Care and support is available to help adults who may have an illness or disability to carry on living as independently as possible.

Contact West Sussex County Council or Surrey County Council to find out about what care you can receive.

You can also call 01243 642121 for Sussex or 0300 470 9100 for Surrey.

Information for carers

If you care for someone who could not cope without your support because of illness, frailty, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction, whether that's a family member, partner or friend, then you are a carer.

If that's you, please let us know by filling out this online form. As a carer, you are entitled to specific support, such as health check-ups and free flu vaccines, so we want to make sure we can support you.

You can find out more about support for carers on our Carers Support page.

Concerned about falls?

Crawley Wellbeing

Wellbalanced

Have you felt unsteady on your feet? Have you noticed a change in your confidence when moving about? Crawley wellbeing is here to help you improve your strenth and balance, and support you to renew your stability and confidence. They offer courses to suit various abilities, led by specialist instructors. For more information, please contact wellbeing@crawley.gov.uk or call 01293 585317.

NHS

NHS UK Falls Advice

The NHS has advice on how to prevent falls, what causes falls, and what to do if you have a fall.

Planning Ahead

Power of Attorney

Even if you don't think it will be useful yet, it's a good idea to get a Power of Attorney sorted as early as you can. Power of Attorney lets you appoint one or more people to help you make decisions, or make decisions on your behalf. It only becomes active at the point where you can no longer decide for yourself.

You can choose whether you want a Power of Attorney for health and welfare, for property and financial affairs, or for both.

It costs £82 to register a Power of Attorney unless you get a reduction or exemption.

You can find out more on gov.uk.

Your Care Matters

Make sure your friends and family know what you would want to happen if you need more care in the future, or if you needed to go into hospital.

You can create a "MyCareMatters" profile which tells hospital staff and other healthcare professionals about the things you want them to know about you as a person.

It's of particular value to people with communication challenges, such as those living with dementia, but there may come a time in any of our lives that we are admitted to hospital, for a planned visit or in an emergency and may, temporarily or otherwise, be unable to communicate. MyCareMatters provides the opportunity to tell hospital staff that you drink your tea black, that you have a fear of needles and like to wear socks in bed because of your poor circulation.

Fore more information, and to create a profile, visit the MyCareMatters website.