Care and support can help people who are finding daily life difficult because of illness, disability, age or other circumstances.

Support may include practical help at home, equipment, adaptations, day services, short breaks, care homes, support after a hospital stay, or advice about money and benefits.

The type of support available depends on your needs and circumstances. Your local council can explain what help may be available in your area.

Social services can assess your needs and help you understand your options. They may also signpost you to local community services, voluntary organisations or charities that can help.

Charities and community groups may be able to offer advice, emotional support, practical help, social groups, advocacy, transport, befriending, or support for specific conditions.

Depending on your needs, support may include:

• help at home from a paid carer
• equipment to help you stay safe and independent
• home adaptations, such as rails or ramps
• telecare or alarms
• day services or community support
• short breaks or respite care
• residential care or nursing care

Your local council can explain what support is available and whether a financial assessment is needed.

You may be able to get financial support depending on your circumstances. This may include disability benefits, carer benefits, help with care costs, or advice about work and caring responsibilities.

A benefits check can help you understand what you may be entitled to. You can ask your local council, Citizens Advice, a carers organisation, or a relevant charity for advice.

If you need support after leaving hospital, staff should talk to you about what help you may need before you go home.

This may include short-term support, reablement, equipment, home adaptations, help from community health services, or a longer-term care and support assessment.

Tell hospital staff as early as possible if you are worried about managing at home after discharge.

If you care for someone, support may be available to help you in your caring role. You do not need to be caring full time to ask for advice or support.

You can ask your local council for a carer’s assessment. This is a chance to talk about the support you need, any difficulties you are having, and what matters to you as a carer.

NHS 111 Wales also has information for carers, including support with breaks from caring, day care, assisted living devices and practical advice.

Caring for someone can include practical, emotional and personal support. This may include help with medicines, appointments, meals, washing, dressing, moving around, or keeping someone safe.

Ask for advice if you are unsure how to care for someone safely, especially if you need help with moving and handling, medicines, personal care, or managing changes in behaviour.

Your GP practice, community nurse, pharmacist, social services team or a carers organisation may be able to help depending on the situation.

Children and young people with care and support needs may be able to get help from social services, education services, health services or voluntary organisations.

Young carers can also ask for support. A young carer is a child or young person who helps look after someone in their family because of illness, disability, mental health needs or substance misuse.

Contact your local council if you think a child, young person or young carer needs support.

Sometimes a person may need help to make decisions, or someone may need to make decisions on their behalf.

This can include decisions about care, money, health, living arrangements or legal matters. The rules can depend on the person’s mental capacity and whether legal arrangements, such as power of attorney, are in place.

Get advice if you are unsure. You may wish to speak to social services, a solicitor, an advocacy service or Citizens Advice.