Christine cares for her wheelchair-bound husband, Kevin, 73, who lives with multiple complex medical needs. Carers First recently supported Christine by providing emergency respite care for Kevin during her appointments to Southend hospital.
Christine, 57, got in touch with Carers First after desperately needing support to help care for her husband during frequent hospital visits. For the last few years, she has been caring for Kevin, who is wheelchair bound after having bi-lateral above-knee amputation surgery.
“I care for Kevin full time as he is not safe to be left alone. I have to be on call 24/7, and I was feeling really overwhelmed with having to care for Kevin alone – particularly during my hospital visits,” Christine said.
Kevin’s other medical issues include epilepsy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, vascular dementia, cataracts, impaired hearing, as well as being recently diagnosed with lung cancer.
Before accessing support services from Carers First, Christine struggled to attend hospital appointments alone, and brought Kevin along to each visit, which was unnecessarily stressful for both of them.
As part of its Southend service, Carers First have been able to provide emergency respite care during Christine’s regular trips to Southend-on-Sea hospital, allowing her to travel to her appointments alone without having to worry about caring for Kevin.
“I am less stressed and do not need to try and find transport to the hospital for both of us. It’s made life so much easier for my husband and he can relax more, as I do not have to keep dragging him to my appointments with me!” Christine explained.
Christine would recommend Carers First to fellow carers facing similar situations: “They offer a lot of services that can be a real help, whether you are new to caring, or an experienced carer that is facing a new situation - or just feeling low and overwhelmed by the situation you are in. I’m also thinking about accessing Southend’s counselling services to further support me.”
She adds: “Carers First have always been very understanding and lovely to speak with; they have done everything in their power to arrange care for my husband when I have an appointment to attend, no matter how short the notice. I cannot thank them enough.”
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.