Nine years ago Sheila Garces was a care worker in a residential care home when her father Francisco suffered two strokes and a heart attack aged 67. She had to give up her job to look after him, but with support from Carers First she’s helped her father to recover, gone back to work and even become a Carers First volunteer herself. This is her story…
“When my father Francisco suffered his strokes it was the start of a very difficult time for both of us,” said Sheila, who is now 45. “At the time I was a single parent working in residential care and looking after my teenage son Ruben. After his stroke my father had aphasia which meant he had very poor communication skills and he stopped talking. It was a very hard time for all of us.
“I was working in a care home at the time but I had to stop working to concentrate on my father’s recovery. My life completely changed; in fact, I stopped having a life. I had a child to look after and my father’s illness was life changing.
“I was hoping and praying that he could recover from the strokes, which is why I dedicated myself 100% to him, and thank God today he’s much more independent. He has improved and he’s regained his power of speech.”
In spite of this improvement Sheila says her father still needs a lot of help and support. “He lives in sheltered accommodation in Leytonstone and I visit him almost every day,” she says. “I take care of all his finances, I do his shopping, cook his meals, make appointments - basically I do everything for him.
“The biggest challenge is to try to improve his health,” she added. “Healthwise he’s not that well; it’s a big, big challenge. He still has a heart condition and he’s monitored every week by the hospital. We still have a lot to do.”
Looking back, things began to change and improve for Sheila when she made contact with Carers First.
“Carers First saved my life to be honest,” she said. “I was told about the charity by someone at Waltham Forest Council and when I contacted them I was so desperate and I didn’t know I could get help.
It took me a long time to ask for help but when I did I found Renee, from Carers First, who supported me. I’m so appreciative of this person – she supported me with everything, even money issues; I’d stopped working so there was no money coming in, but Renee told me about the various benefits I could claim. They also helped me a lot emotionally, and they still do.”
With support from Carers First, Sheila has started working again; she’s found two care workers to help her look after Francisco, and she’s even started volunteering for Carers First herself, making sure other unpaid carers get the advice and support they need.
“After a while I started working again to support myself and my family but a few months ago my father went back into hospital and the situation became a little bit overwhelming for me as I couldn’t manage on my own. So, I found some care workers through Waltham Forest Council who give us a package of care – they help me twice a day and give him his medication, which is a great help.
“Now thanks to Carers First I’ve learned a lot, I get more help and I’ve relaxed a little bit. As well as the care package we get and the support from Carers First my son Ruben is 22 now and he lives with me so he helps me a lot.”
Sheila says contacting Carers First made a big difference to her life and she would urge other carers in a similar position to do the same. She has volunteered for Carers First for the past four years but she says the charity still supports her too.
“I’d definitely recommend Carers First to anyone who is caring for someone else,” she said. “They can help and give people the support they need in terms of care, and this is very important. In my case I didn’t know where to turn for help and Carers First they gave me the knowledge and the contacts I needed.”
Register with us, or refer a carer to us
Online Help and Advice
Visit our online support section where we have provided advice and guidance on a range of relevant topics to help you in your caring role.