Celebrating hidden heroes this Carers Week
Today marks the beginning of Carers Week, an annual campaign raising awareness of the challenges and invaluable contribution that unpaid carers make to their families and their communities. The theme for this year’s campaign is ‘make caring visible, valued and supported’ recognising those hidden members of our communities and enabling them to access their own much needed support network.
As a large not-for-profit care provider, we come into daily contact with people who have been providing exemplary care to their loved ones but on occasion they themselves may be in need of their own support.
Our fantastic Community Care team wanted to share how Mrs Matthews, the wife of one of our beloved community customers explained to us how our support has benefited both her and husband’s lives. Mrs Matthews was her husband’s sole carer until she faced her own health issues, which resulted in her spending time in hospital and being away from her husband. With the help of her daughter and social services, our community carers were introduced to the lovely Mr Matthews, and later his wife when she returned home. While Mrs Matthews still provides most of the care to her husband, our carers assist with tasks such as showering, grooming, lifting and medication.
Until Mrs Matthews was in a position where she couldn’t help her husband, she didn’t realise how much she had taken on in looking after her him herself – she ‘just got on with it’. She was also surprised at how well her husband adapted to having carers into their home to assist, convinced that he wouldn’t welcome it, or that it would at least take time for him to get used to it. Thankfully they’ve embraced the help their receiving which has gone some way in helping Mrs Matthews achieve some balance.
The reality is that being a carer to someone so close to you can have a big impact on your own wellbeing. Mrs Matthews takes time for herself when her husband has gone to bed for the evening, as helped by Somerset Care’s community carers.
If you would look to know more information about the care we can offer you or a loved one from the comfort of your own home, then please call us on 0800 817 4990, or email [email protected].
