Am I a carer?

We refer to family and friends who provide care and support to someone with MS as 'carers'. It's a term that most people understand. It's useful shorthand too, as it helps us represent your needs when we are calling for better services and support, and enables us to work closely with other carers organisations, nationally and locally.

There are over 6 million carers in the UK-1 million of these providing care for over 50 hours a week. If you are caring for someone with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), you are of course first and foremost a mother, father, sibling, child, relative or friend.  But recognising yourself as a carer can be the key to receiving much needed support for yourself. We hope that these pages help you do just that.

Our Free Publications also contain additional information for family, friends and carers.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please email Joanna Ridley - our National Carers Lead

Childhood MS Family Day at Alton Towers

  Does a child in your family have MS? Childhood MS is comparatively rare but for those families affected, there's a great need for information, advice and opportunities to share experiences with other families.

Our 'Childhood MS Family Day' aims to offer just that. It's taking place on 11th and 12th of October, at Alton Towers. With all expenses covered, including travel, accommodation and entry to the parks, it promises to be a fun event for all the family, with lots of opportunity to meet others and to learn from expert speakers.

To find out more, and to book your places, you can download the booking form at the bottom of this page, or you can contact Joanna Ridey, Carers Programme Manager on 01793 876791 or at Jo Ridley.  

Coping with Emergencies when away from home

  Do you ever worry what might happen if you have an emergency whilst away from home and can't get back to the person you care for? Our new Carers Emergency Card may be what you need. 

The Government's National Carers Strategy

  The Government published its revised National Strategy for Carers on 11 June. It builds upon progress made to improve support for carers as a result of the original strategy, published back in 1999.

Find out more by following this link. 

New Publications

'If only I had known that when I first became a carer!'

Here at the MS Society we hear that phrase so often, and one of the reasons for this is that many family members and friends don't recognise themselves as carers until a long while after they've taken on caring responsibilities.

This is why we've published 'Caring for someone with MS: a handbook for family and friends', offering a wealth of information about all aspects of caring for a loved one.
For teenagers we've published 'MS in Your Life' offering information and sources of support aimed at the teenage audience. This adds to existing resources aimed at younger family members, including our DVD 'Annie and Dan'.

To find out about all of these resources, order copies or download PDF versions, take a look in our information shop.  

A chance for you to tell the Government what it’s like for you as a carer.

If you feel that as a carer you are not getting the help and support you need, or believe that services could and should be improved, you can make your views known by contributing to a questionnaire study that is investigating this very problem.

A team from King’s College London has been commissioned by the Department of Health to carry out this study across the UK as part of the Government's National Service Framework (NSF) for Long-term (Neurological) Conditions.

If you decide to take part the team will post you a set of questionnaires to fill in and return. Most questions involve ticking a box, circling a number or writing a short sentence.

They will then telephone you at a time convenient to you to help with any questions you were unsure about, and to give you the opportunity to tell them about any problems that were not covered.

If you would like to know more, you can:

- Phone Diana Jackson or Dee Howley: 0207-848-5582 or 0207-848-5418
- E-mail the Research Team.
- or download information and a reply slip by clicking the link below.

King College Carer Support Research (80 kb)
 

Have you been hit by a hefty Council Tax Bill?

  Did you know that as a carer, you may be entitled to a discount? If you’ve been overpaying for a while, you may also be entitled to a backdated refund.

Here we summarise some of the main ways you can save money on your bill.
 

The Carers Opportunities Fund

If you are a carer and are considering going back to education or employment, you may be able to get help from the MS Society's Carers Opportunity Fund, which gives grants of up to £400 for such things as non-graduate course fees, course books, materials and travel costs.  

When caring ends

Whether caring ends because of bereavement or the breakdown in a relationship, individuals who have been caring have their own needs that can often be neglected.

Support and advice for adults and children who have suffered a recent loss of a loved one is offered by Cruse Bereavement Care. You may also find this BBC information of help: BBC Relationships. For children there is Winston's Wish, and for teenagers there's RD4U, a website designed for young people by young people, part of Cruse's Youth Involvement Project.  

Childhood MS Family Day flyer and booking form