It is never too early to plan for the future. As a carer, you and the person you care for may wish to consider what will happen in the future. Making plans now can help to make future situations which could be potentially difficult, easier, and ensure that the person you care for can make known any wishes they may have.

Knowing you have a plan in place can help ease your worries if you are not able to care for those you look after at any point in the future. For many, this will involve contacting a family member, friend or neighbour who is willing to cover in an emergency. For others, it may be noting down the support the person you care for needs, so that people (such as Adult Social Care) can act in their best interests if they need to.

You may want to consider having a carer’s assessment to establish if you are eligible to join the ‘Carers in Crisis’ emergency back-up scheme. This is a back-up scheme which helps the person you care for in an emergency, when you are suddenly unable to provide your usual support.

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document where you can give another person the authority to make certain decisions on your behalf.

The person you care for may also want to set up a Lasting Power of Attorney so that it is easier for your to make decisions for them if they can't do this for themselves in the future.

People on low incomes may be be able to apply for a reduced fee or you may be exempt from paying for the fee to register the Power of Attorney document if you receive certain means tested benefits.

You and the person you care for should consider writing a will.

You may not want to think about what will happen after you die, and someotimes the thought of putting it down in writing can be upsetting. However, writing a will allows you to set out what you, and the person you care for, want to happen after you die. It ensures that your wishes are set out clearly and you can choosewho you want to deal with things on your behalf.

Even if you don't think you have much money, belongings or property it is still important to think about writing a will. A will can also help you make provision for a dependant who is unable to care for themselves. You should discuss this with a solicitor when drawing up your will.

You can find our more about how to write a will on the Citizens Advice website. It also has lots of other advice about writing a will.

Together Matters have lots of resources to help you plan for the future and think ahead.