Durham County Carers Support

Durham County Carers Support (DCCS) are a local charity, who work to help unpaid carers. As a charity we are trying to reach both older carers and/or male carers since both groups are currently under-represented in our client base. I am Marilyn Normanton, a trustee of DCCS and a member of the u3a and know that the u3a membership is largely made up of older people, including many men.

A common barrier to accessing assistance is that people often don’t recognise themselves as carers, particularly when looking after a family member. This means they may miss out on valuable support from organisations such as DCCS.

DCCS has an excellent website, including a Virtual Information Hub and also provides more personalised help if people wish to register with us. Some of the many services on offer range from local support groups, benefits advice, carer breaks, counselling, a sympathetic listening ear, and signposting to other organisations.

Even if members are not carers themselves they may have friends or relatives who are carers.