Website of the UK government

Financial support

Benefits for the person you care for

The person you care for may be entitled to:

There are special rules to help terminally ill people get Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance quickly and easily.

• Disability Living Allowance (disabled people section)
• Attendance Allowance (disabled people section)
• Incapacity Benefit (disabled people section)

Carer's Allowance

As a carer, you may be entitled to receive Carer's Allowance. You can keep on getting this for up to 12 weeks if the person you care for goes into hospital and for up to four weeks if they go into a care home provided certain conditions are met.

If the person you care for dies, Carer's Allowance will usually stop after eight weeks.

• Carer's Allowance - introduction

Practical support

Support from social services

The social services department of your local authority may provide a range of social care services and equipment for terminally ill people. 

Assessments from your local social services

An assessment with social services is the first step towards getting help and support for yourself and the person you care for. The person you care for is entitled to a health and social care assessment, while you as a carer are entitled to a carer's assessment.

• Health and social care assessments (disabled people section)
• Assessments for carers

Emotional support

Although friends and family can provide emotional support at this difficult time, you may find it easier to talk to a professional counsellor or to other carers in a similar position. The person you're caring for and other family members may also benefit from counselling.

Finding a counsellor

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) is the professional body for counsellors. You can search for registered counsellors in your local area on their website.

• Find a counsellor on the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy website Opens new window

Support groups for carers

There may be support groups for carers in your local area, which could give you the opportunity to talk to other people in the same situation as yourself.

• Contact with other carers

Help with caring for someone at home

Medical and nursing care

If the person you care for needs specialist medical or nursing care to enable them to continue living at home, you can arrange this through their local doctor (GP). Services that may be available include:

Services that are provided by the National Health Service (NHS) may vary from region to region, but will always be provided free of charge.

• Find a local GP Opens new window
• Community nurses and health visitors (disabled people section)

Short-term breaks

Both you and the person you care for may benefit if you can take a short-term break from caring from time to time. This is sometimes known as respite care. You can arrange short-term breaks through your local social services department. A local carers group may also be able to provide, for example, half a days care a few times a month.

• Time out from caring
• Organisations and charities for carers

Employing a professional carer

If youre caring for someone who needs a lot of care, you may choose to employ a professional carer (or carers) to share the caring role with you.

• Employing a professional carer (disabled people section)

Alternatives to caring for someone at home

Hospice care

Hospices are residential units that provide care specifically for people who are terminally ill, and offer support to those who care for them.

Hospices specialise in palliative care, which aims to make the end of a person's life as comfortable as possible and to relieve their symptoms when a cure is not possible. Hospices are run by a team of doctors, nurses, social workers, counsellors and trained volunteers. Many hospices offer bereavement counselling.

Hospice staff can sometimes visit people at home and are often on call 24 hours a day. It is also possible for patients to receive daycare at the hospice without moving in, or to stay for a short period to give their carers a break.

There is no charge for hospice care, but the person you care for must be referred to a hospice through their GP, hospital doctor or district nurse.

• Find a hospice on the Hospice Information website Opens new window

Hospital care

There may be times when a terminally ill person needs to go into hospital. If the person you care for is coming home after a hospital stay, the NHS and your local authority should work together to meet their continuing health and social care needs. The person's needs should be assessed before they leave hospital and a package of care arranged for them.

• Support after leaving hospital (disabled people section)

Care homes

If the person you care for needs a level of care and support that cannot be provided in their own home, a care home could be the answer. You can find detailed information about care homes in the health and well-being section of Directgov.

• Care homes (health and well-being section)

Helping the person you care for prepare for death

It's natural for someone who is terminally ill to want to sort out their affairs and make decisions about what kind of medical treatment they want (or don't want) at the end of their life. The 'rights and responsibilities' section of Directgov contains useful information about wills, living wills and the right to refuse medical treatment and resuscitation.

• Wills and probate (rights and responsibilities section)

When the person you care for dies

What to do after a death

When someone dies, there are some things you will need to do straight away, or within the first few days and weeks. The rights and responsibilities section of Directgov includes guidance on what to do after a death.

• What to do after a death (rights and responsibilities section)

Bereavement counselling

When someone close to you dies, you may benefit from counselling from a specialist bereavement counsellor. The charity Cruse Bereavement Care can help with this.

• Cruse Bereavement Care

Benefits and bereavement

If the person you care for dies, Carers Allowance will usually stop after eight weeks.

If your spouse or civil partner has died, you may be able to claim one or more of the following bereavement benefits:

• Bereavement benefits (money, tax and benefits section)