Following the sale of the family home, Beth’s Father chose to move into sheltered housing. He owned the new property, but the advantage to him and the family was that there was an element of supervision and care available to support him. In this instance the level of supervision provided did not meet the family’s expectations.
“There was no sense of people coming to check on you. My Father got a red button to press if anything was wrong and that was as far as it went. There are so many different types of care available. You really need to look at all the options and make sure the one you choose is suitable and appropriate for your family’s circumstances.”
Unfortunately her Father fell and was unable to alert anyone. After surgery on his spine, he was released from hospital quite quickly after the operation, which caused further consternation for Beth. Her Father’s sheltered housing was no longer suitable and the family had real problems trying to get any help for him. It took six months to get any help for him in the house and they encountered a number of challenges as they tried to negotiate the system at what was a very tough and emotional time.
“The care system is so complex that you can get lost within it. There are issues in communication between agencies that can cause real stress for families. You have to fight really hard for many things within the care system these days.”
Beth is also a registered carer for her Husband who suffers from a disability. She understands the emotional challenges that caring for someone can present and recommends taking one day at a time and dealing with situations as they come up rather than letting things fester.
“You can’t take things to heart. If someone is feeling ill they can be cranky and may say things that are hurtful or antagonistic. It is better to walk out of the room and take a deep breath rather than get angry or upset.”
"There are so many different types of care available. You really need to look at all the options and make sure the one you choose is suitable and appropriate for your family’s circumstances.”
In this situation Beth credits the care network available to her as a great help and source of conversation. Carers come in to the home each day to help and phone twice a day. They have a team of people working with them, so different people come in each day, which keeps the conversation fresh and interesting. Beth sees this as invaluable.
“My Husband and I have a very positive outlook on life and we make sure we laugh at everything that life throws at us. We surround ourselves with friends and carers that have this same outlook and this really helps us.”
“You really do have to have people you can talk to whether it’s friends, carers or other people in a similar situation to you.”
