Considering early retirement to care for parent

Any experiences and/or advice would be so valuable.
I don’t reach State Pension Age for another 3.5 years, but have a tiny personal pension. Dad has private carers for 9 hours a week but they are not always mindful of his care assessment so i am picking up their shortfall.
Thank you for reading my post and as i said ANY advice /experiences would be so helpful.
Debbie

Hi Debbie,
Until you claim your state pension you can claim Carer’s Allowance if your Dad claims Attendance Allowance so it’s worth doing the sums:

How do you feel about approaching work to request to reduce your hours?
That way you won’t be solely reliant on your private pension and will still have the social benefits of attending work.

Perhaps, work a few hours and claim Carers Allowance m?

Melly1

Lots to consider.
If you could give us a bit more information, it would help us tailor our replies.

I’ll start by asking if you live with dad, or somewhere else?
Does he own, or rent his house?
If you live elsewhere, do you own or rent it?
Does dad have over £23,000 in savings (Yes/No)?
What care does dad need?
Does he have a formal diagnosis?
How old is dad?

Hi Debbie

I wanted to wish you a warm welcome to the forum and to highlight some of the options for connecting with fellow carers and for getting support from Carers UK should you need it.

Carers UK are running online weekly meet ups for carers to take some time for themselves and chat to other carers. Feel free to join if you’d like to and there’s no pressure to share anything you don’t want to. I’m sure you’ll find others in a similar position to yourself and can share their experiences.

You can find information on how to register to our online meetups at the following pages:

Care for a Cuppa: Online meetups | Carers UK - the next online meet up is today (Mon 9 August), 15.00-16.00 with further sessions shown in that link. This social is a great way to have a little break if you are able to and spend some quality time talking to people who understand what you are going through right now.

Share and Learn: Share and Learn | Carers Scotland - these sessions range from creative writing activities to beginners Latin dance sessions.

There is also Carers UK’s helpline should you need advice or support - Our Telephone Helpline is available on 0808 808 7777 from Monday to Friday, 9am – 6pm or you can contact us by email (advice@carersuk.org)

Carers UK also provide information and guidance to unpaid carers. This covers a range of subjects including:

Benefits and financial support
Your rights as a carer in the workplace
Carers’ assessments and how to get support in your caring role
Services available to carers and the people you care for
How to complain effectively and challenge decisions.