Hi I am very new to online forums, and have no idea how they work at all in terms of how anonymity and confidentiality is observed . I care for a relative, and at this point fairly reluctant to say much else until I understand how this forum works. The main reason for the reluctance is to ensure the anonymity of the person I support.
Please be patient with me. Lorraine
Hi Lorraine and welcome 
If you look down the main board index you will see certain areas are marked “Private”. These areas are only viewable by forum members and cannot be seen/read by anybody casually browsing the forum.
In general however we recommend changing your username to something less identifiable - i.e “daisymop” rather than, say, Jane Jones ! We don’t expect you to refer to the person you care for by name (although it can help sometimes if we know the relationship if you have a specific question - i.e. Mother, sibling etc) You can find instructions on changing your username here https://www.carersuk.org/forum/forum-guide/your-how-to-guide-for-using-the-forum/how-to-change-your-user-name-and-password-21906?p=392726#p392726
Just post what you feel happy with 
Hi Lorriane
I was worried too as my caree is a young adult with access to internet and I was afraid he would read what I was saying about him, hence the anonymous username. I’ve never used his name or our location or my real name, even in private messages.
Maybe someone who knows me could piece bits of a jigsaw together but they’d have to know me in real life first, and would therefore already know my situation.
We use initials a lot, and who knows if they are the correct ones?
Like with anything else internetwise just be sensible and don’t reveal anything you wouldn’t want shared. Yes the member area is more private but remember anyone can become a member, genuine or not.
I’m coming up for 3 years forum use now and the benefits far outweigh any concerns
Kr
MrsA
Hi Lorraine, welcome to the forum.