You can play an important role in helping your loved one choose the best options for their situation. You can offer both emotional support and important practical help, such as scheduling or accompanying them to appointments, or locating services. You can also be key in helping monitor early changes in a loved one’s well-being, including both setbacks and improvements.
It’s important to respect your loved one’s wishes, even if you don’t agree with their choices. Forcing someone to choose a particular treatment or service provider can damage relationships and make things harder for everyone. If a loved one is an adult, they have the right to choose their own care and the right to privacy in most situations.
Be aware that, in most cases, service providers have a legal obligation to protect personal treatment information. However, your loved one can let their care team share some or all of the information with you.
Please remember that supporting someone you care about can take a toll your wellbeing. It is important to establish strong boundaries and take care of your health. There are groups and associations support caregivers, connect caregivers with peer support, and assist caregivers in accessing services that offer practical help with daily activities, transportation and more.
Young Minds has a parents’ helpline you can call if you’re worried about a child up to the age of 25. They provide advice, emotional support and signposting to other services.
Below are some resources to help you support the many people in your life.
Under construction: we are currently developing content on supporting aging parents/seniors, information for new parents, and several other groups. Please check back regularly.