I am a Carer for my husband, and I am looking into the future, even though I don't like to think about it. 

I was wondering, if I outlive my husband what will Centrelink change about my pension? Do I go back on Newstart and report every fortnight and do voluntary work?

I won't be eligible for the aged pension until I am 67! But after looking after my husband for so long I was hoping to rest and take stock for a year if the worse should happen.

Does Centrelink give any allowances for people like me that are literally 'spent' after being a Carer for years or do they just say bad luck you have to get back to voluntarly work straight away in order to get a pension? We are not wealthy with assests or money in the bank, and 'holiday' isn't in our vocabularly, so I just want an idea of what will happen if my husband passes away before me.

Thanks for reading.