Case Study 1 – Mrs. Shah’s Story

Mrs Shah was referred to Harrow Carers by her GP surgery. She looks after her son who suffers from Cerebral Palsy since birth, however after both her knee operations, this became particularly difficult. Mrs Shah was in desperate need for respite being elderly and in poor health herself, but the process proved to be too difficult.

The older carer support worker was able to support her in this by filling in the forms and liaising with the relevant organisations which led to her son receiving day care 2 days/week. This arrangement enabled Mrs Shah to get the break she needed but also gave her son an opportunity to meet others. Mrs Shah was also enrolled on our outing and coffee mornings to ensure she gets a break from her caring role and have the opportunity to meet other carers.

Mrs Shah was also supported to get Council tax reduction and independent living funds to support her son’s social and care needs. Harrow Carers older carers support worker has kept regular contact with Mrs Shah and ensured that she continues to receive regular support.

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Case Study 2 – Mr. Turner’s Story

Mr Turner is 76 and is actively involved in caring for his wife who suffers from arthritis and is predominantly housebound. Mr Turner spends a lot of time looking after his wife, attending to her personal care needs but also managing the household leaving little time for himself and with no children who live locally these tasks are almost always managed singlehandedly. Moreover undertakes voluntary work locally which involves leaving Mrs Turner alone at home on a regular basis. The combination of these responsibilities has started to take a toll on his health, with increasing implications on his stress levels and his back.

Consequently Mr Turner was in desperate need for some extra support with homecare but could not afford this financially. The older carers support worker has been able to successfully apply for Attendance Allowance for his wife which has led to some extra support at home.

The support worker also involved the social services who through an assessment have managed to provide necessary adaptations such as a bath seat, grab rails and chair raisers enabling his wife to do more for herself. They are now also in receipt of an emergency pendent and have been registered with the carers support emergency service giving Mr Turner the peace of mind and the confidence that his wife will be supported in the event of an emergency if he wasn’t around, thanks to the support from the older carers team.

Mr Turner has also been attending our coffee mornings and has received a financial contribution towards his back massage through our complementary therapies scheme which has enabled him to meet other carers and ensure he takes care of his health. The regular newsletter provides information and advice about carer services and latest news and government policies regarding the welfare of carers, keeping Mr Turner updated and involved throughout his time as a carer.