My name is Sherry and I’m a carer. My partner Terry and I have two sons William (12) and George (11). William has Cerebral Palsy and needs round the clock care 7 days a week which can be exhausting. On top of this we both work full time. My employers have been extremely supportive to my caring situation, allowing me to work flexi-time and take time off when William is ill.
As both of the children have got older we are facing new problems everyday. William has got bigger and heavier which has made the physical part of caring so much harder. I’ve had a bad back for years and have recently been diagnosed with osteoarthritis.
Impact
I worry about the impact on my long term ability to care
I worry about the impact on my long term ability to care; now my legs, ankles and knuckles ache along with my back. Lifting and washing William is also a problem, we cannot carry him up the stairs anymore which means his bedroom is currently our dining room and we have to bed bath him.
We have requested planning permission to build an extension so that William can have a wet room and a real bedroom downstairs as well as space for his specialist equipment and hoists. The planning permission was rejected last minute and we have appealed in the hope that common sense will prevail. It would mean such a dramatic improvement to the quality of life of all of us.
Catch up
We currently get 3 nights a month of respite where William attends Sunflower house. This allows the family some time to catch up with work and household jobs that we would not have time to do otherwise. We also have a careworker that comes twice a week to look after William. That allows me to catch up on flexi hours I may have missed at work or to take George out and spend some quality time with him too.
His brother is a brilliant help
His brother George is a brilliant help; he helps lift and care for George and plays with him when Terry and I grab a minute or two of peace or just finish a meal. I do feel guilty when George sometimes misses out playing with his friends when we need help and support with William; he has become a carer as he has grown older.
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