Taking care of someone's a pretty demanding job - any parent knows this. You put your own life on hold while you look after the needs of another person, and although it's tiring the job can be its own reward. The love and affection returned by a child can make your heart glow and make all the hard work seem more than worthwhile.
Ok, so it's a rose tinted view. Any real parent will tell you there are days they could happily give the little horrors away as they fondly remember the care free days of childless abandon. There does remain, however, a great satisfaction in seeing them grow into independent young people ready to make their own way in the world. But imagine what it's like taking care of someone the same age or older than you. Not your own offspring growing tall and healthy, but a friend or relative suffering a disability or a disease that means they can't take care of themselves.
Knowing that they aren't going to get better, that your life isn't going to get easier as time goes on. All you have to look forward to is the ongoing effort of feeding, cleaning and taking care of their needs day in, day out. This is the reality for Britain's army of unpaid home carers - the estimated 4 million of us who look after someone at home that includes children as young as 12. All taking care of friends, parents or often elderly relatives. For many the task is full time in the real sense of the word, all day, everyday (and often night). For others it means fitting the care around work, leaving little or no time for anything else in their lives.
Fortunately there is help at hand if you know where to look. Respite care is a service where another carer will take over while the normal carer takes a break. It's a simple idea, but a real lifeline for many who might otherwise buckle under the strain of looking after someone. The care provided can be at any level from an occasional few hours, to help with tasks like bathing or changing incontinence pads, all the way up to actually taking someone into a care home for a week at a time to allow the carer a chance to get away on holiday themselves.
So where do you find this help? Well, believe it or not the first place to go is your Local Council. Just call, get through the Social Services Department and ask about Respite Care. If you don't already receive help from them, they'll find out more about your situation and let you know what they can do for you. Be prepared for a bit of paperwork and questioning, but it's well worth the effort when means they can help you out. If for any reason they can't help you out, don't despair. There's also a great charity called Crossroads who specialise in providing Respite Care, and they aim to provide support where the council isn't able to.
So help is there, and carers should grab it with both hands whenever they can. Respite care brings help to the carer, something too many have been missing for too long.
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