A Guide for Carers & Families

Your Role in Rehabilitation

If you're supporting someone with a neurological condition, you're probably one of the most important people in their recovery. You attend appointments, support them in doing exercises at home, help adapt routines to new limitations, and provide emotional support through a challenging time.

The rehabilitation team should include you. You know the person you care for better than anyone - how they function at home, what matters to them, what motivates them. Share this with the professionals you're working with. Good practitioners actively involve carers in planning and reviewing rehabilitation.

How to Get Support for the Person You Care For

NHS referral: If they've had a stroke, been diagnosed with MS, Parkinson's, or another neurological condition, their GP or hospital team should refer them for rehabilitation. If they haven't been referred, ask. You can also ask your GP to refer them directly.

Needs assessment: In the UK, everyone is entitled to a needs assessment from their local authority. Contact your local council's adult social care team to request one. This identifies what support they need and what the council is responsible for funding.

Self-referral to private practitioners: You don't need a referral to see private physiotherapists, occupational therapists, or other specialists. Use the My Rehab Journey directory to search by condition and location.

Using the MRJ directory: You can search for specialists by condition, postcode, and whether they offer home visits. If the person you care for struggles with mobility or leaving the house, filter for practitioners who come to them.

Carer's Assessment

Here's something many carers don't know about: in the UK, you're entitled to a free Carer's Assessment from your local council. This isn't about assessing them - it's about assessing you and your needs as a carer.

A Carer's Assessment looks at:

• How caring is affecting your physical and mental health
• Whether you have time for your own interests, work, or social life
• What support you need - respite care, emotional support, financial help, or equipment
• Whether you can continue in your caring role sustainably

If the assessment finds you have eligible needs, the council can fund support - whether that's a cleaner, gardener, counselling, or regular respite breaks. Contact your local council's carers support team to request one. It doesn't cost anything and can be life-changing.

Looking After Yourself

Carer burnout is real. It creeps up on you - you're so focused on supporting someone else that you forget to look after yourself. Signs include exhaustion (not just being tired, but a deep fatigue that rest doesn't fix), anxiety, resentment, physical symptoms like headaches or stomach problems, and feeling trapped.

If you recognise any of these, you're not failing - you're telling you something important. Taking breaks is not selfish - it's essential. You can't support someone else if you're burnt out.

Carers UK runs a helpline (0808 808 7777) and has free information about carer support. They also run local carer support groups where you can talk to other people in similar situations.

Consider:

• Asking the care team about respite - regular breaks while someone else provides care
• Joining a local carers support group
• Requesting a Carer's Assessment (see above)
• Speaking to your own GP if you're struggling with stress, anxiety, or depression
• Setting boundaries - you can't be available 24/7, and that's okay

Useful Questions to Ask the Rehabilitation Team

• What can I do at home to support their rehabilitation? Good practitioners will give you exercises or techniques to practice between sessions, not just see the person once a week.
• How will you coordinate with the other practitioners? If they're seeing multiple therapists, the team should be communicating and working toward the same goals.
• What are we aiming for? What does success look like? Walking again? Getting back to work? Being more independent at home? Clear goals help everyone stay focused.
• How long will this take, and what progress should I expect? Recovery timelines help you stay realistic and motivated.
• What should I look out for? Are there warning signs that things are getting worse, or that a different type of support is needed?
• Can you recommend how to access support for the person I care for? Whether that's funding, additional services, or support for mental health.

Searching the Directory

My Rehab Journey makes it easy to find the right practitioners for the person you care for:

• By condition: Search for practitioners who specialize in stroke, MS, Parkinson's, brain injury, spinal cord injury, or other neurological conditions
• By location: Filter by postcode or region to find someone nearby
• By service type: Look for physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, case managers, or psychologists
• Home visits: Many people find home-based therapy easier - especially if mobility is limited. Filter for practitioners who offer this