As carers it is just as important to look after our own health. Having time for yourself is very important and while you can do this in little bits throughout the day while still looking after someone, you also need to have time away from actually being a carer or time away from the person you care for.
There are different ways this can be made possible. DAY CARE CENTRES are the most common and these are usually funded by your local council, so there usually is no need to pay a fee (or very minimal fee). Unfortunately these centres are different depending on where you live. A few years ago a very nice lady came to see me and @raspberrytalk to talk about the possibility of us using one of these centres. After discussing @raspberrytalk issues it was clear to me that the centre was neither able, nor willing, to look after someone with such complex issues. So that was that…………bugger!
Another way of getting some respite is getting home visits by a Health Care Professional. Again availability is different depending on where you live - also this is a service you have to pay for. Some carers take on part time jobs to fund this if they can, but this can effect your Carer’s Allowance depending on how many hours you work. The other way to pay for this service is to get a Grant from a charity or your local council (this is sometimes called a direct payment). I do believe these will be changing this year, a lot of areas will be losing or having services such as these cut, all thanks to the Tory government……….
I contacted these guys, Essex Respite, who offer respite for carers of someone with a mental health condition. I thought this was great, but what I didn’t know was you needed to pay for this. I was unfortunately not in a position financially to pay for such a service and I don’t think the council would have help as we had already had big grants for #raspberrytalk ramp and my driving lessons.
So no real respite for me
But, if I did get respite, I would like to spend the time with my best friend … @raspberrytalk !
A lot of people think I’m strange because I would like to spend respite time with @raspberrytalk. At the end of the day it’s not him I want a break from, it’s a break from being a carer!
Maybe this is where I’m different from other carers, I actually miss just spending time with @raspberrytalk, being his wife. I never seem to be able to switch off from being a carer. Damn it!
Take care of each other,
Carer’s Vent
@carersweek2015
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