Select your country, then what's happening.
You'll get the exact number to dial.
In a real emergency — chest pain, unconsciousness, a stroke, a serious fall, trouble breathing — call your country's emergency number straight away: 000 in Australia, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US and Canada, 111 in New Zealand, or 112 in Ireland. Don't wait, don't drive them yourself.
Not every worrying moment is that. Urgent but non-emergency situations — confusion that's come on gradually, a medication question, feeling overwhelmed as a carer — are often better handled by a crisis helpline, your GP or family doctor, a 24-hour nurse line, or a pharmacist. Other questions can simply wait for your next scheduled appointment.
The hard part is knowing which is which. In the middle of a stressful caregiving moment, it's genuinely difficult to think straight — people either wait too long on something serious, or call emergency services for something a helpline could have handled just as well. This tool skips that decision: pick your country and what's happening below, and get a direct answer, fast.
✓ Phone numbers last verified: August 2026. Helplines occasionally change — if a number doesn't connect, search "[country] carer helpline" or "[country] crisis line" for the current number.