LIFE OF A CARER

[g.herschel]

People who chose to be parents get a great deal of help from the state, yet it has not stopped one group of parents asking for grandparents to be "paid " for looking after their grandchildren and lets remember most parentys can get help with child care that will allow them to return to work, unlike many carers of the elderly disabled who can get no help at all if we do it ios generally at our own expense, even respite care is in many cases not available and if it is we often have to pay for it .....

[goody2 shoes]

Good post Glenn as others have said people choose to have a baby and God willing all is normal and they grow and fly the nest. But looking after an 87 yr old with the temprament of a toddler is no easy task. It's not only the mood swings, lack of understanding and mobility it's the lifting and supporting to be able to be reasonably mobile, finances and keeping everyone else in the family happy even the dog gets miffed as he doesn't always get the attention he deserves It is so hard to keep all the balls juggling in the air at the same time without dropping them. Occasionally one drops and all hell lets loose as it upsets the balance that we are all trying to maintain along with battling with the authorities for the support that is needed

[Pete the Paint]

Yes a good post Glenn, but dont be disgruntled with Sandie's remarks, it seems she has as hard a life as the rest of us, looking after her terminally ill partner. See her profile.

I cant see any government giving a 'Monkeys Uncle' about us Carers. They know we'll do it anyway. Oh dear! Thats just about as negative as one can get, eh Glenn. Sorry mate, must try harder

We must all keep bashing away at our own MP's, pestering them, writing to them, button holeing them if we see them out and about. Mines very concerned about Carers rights, but again on the negative side, he's a Lib Dem MP, so no chance of him being in power

Hey Ho, battle on

Pete

[goody2 shoes]

Quite right Pete none of the politicians give a toss about carer's because at the end of the day we are saving them a lot of money. It's very hard not to be negative I think most carer's are angry, frustrated and exhausted with banging your head on a brick wall constantly.
I have to admit my MP is very good I can email and always get a response, may not be the one I want But I do keep on about the lack of dementia day care available in our area as I think it's wrong that I do an 18 mile round trip for Mum to go to a day centre that's 72 miles a week for 2 days care

[Boggle]

Glenn - you are undervaluing yourself dramatically!!!!
You forgot to put 'doctor' on the list - this would increase the income estimation dramatically!
Now then - Doc's salary plus income from private work plus clinical excellence award plus other unearned income and perks - add another 2 hundred grand to your 3 hundred grand total for the rest of the jobs!!!!

Seriously you are so right - but we do need to emphasise the difference between the level of input from carers and the lesser input from parents of non-disabled children who frequently quote a similar list.

Maybe we even need a new name as the term carer is being hijacked left right and centre - a letter in our local paper this week even referred to dog owners as 'dog carers' - we had a wonderful dog until he sadly died last thursday but I would never have called myself a dog carer!

[goody2 shoes]

OMG that's increased my work load not only am I carer but a dog carer as well!!!!!

[MaryB]

Boggle you are so right, not only is the word carer hijacked but I hear parents referring to their lively normal kids as being a bit hyper today, and all letter to parents and guardians from school are addressed parents and carers.
Vicky

[MaryB]

Boggle you are so right, not only is the word carer hijacked but I hear parents referring to their lively normal kids as being a bit hyper today, and all letter to parents and guardians from school are addressed parents and carers.
Vicky

[NanaNana]

Gardener
Chef
Mechanic
Decorator
Animal handler
Complaints handler
Filing/bookings clerk
Administrator
General housekeeper
Girl Friday
Order processor
Stock handling and maintenance
Telecoms manager
Tree surgeon
Plumber
Service engineer
Premises security patrol
Supervisor

anyone like to look into the salaries of all the above, too?

[NanaNana]

What makes me mad is that I always wonder whether male MPs would let THEIR wives/girlfriends work at unpaid physical jobs like some I've mentioned. And would they let their wives get up in the middle of the night if they 'THINK THERE'S A NOISE OUTSIDE'?????? I'm sure they wouldn't have their wives creeping about the house, alone, in case there's someone in the house - they'd go and do it themselves. All protective-like.

That's what makes me mad. Female carers have to do all these things, unless we want to pay through the nose for someone to do things for us and wait months on end for them to come...

Sorry, just add my jobs to your list, Glenn. It's different for female and male carers (see other topic).