Haringey-based carer Norman cares for his wife, Pearline, who has dementia. Norman explains how Carers First has supported him.
For Norman, a typical day is spent looking after his wife, Pearline. Norman receives a helping hand from a care worker on weekdays, who visits at around 10.30am and leaves at 3pm, however, on the weekends Norman is Pearline’s sole carer.
Pearline has dementia and struggles to take care of herself without the support of others. Everyday tasks have become tricky for Pearline to complete on her own; her memory loss has made her prone to wandering off and getting into dangerous situations.
Norman says:
“Throughout our married life, she has been doing most of the chores and caring for the household, so it’s just a matter of repaying. I don’t mind because I know when you get married its till death do us part.”
“If the back door was open, she would go out and wander off – it wouldn’t be safe for her. She left the electric kettle on the stove once, and when I came downstairs, I saw the smoke. So, from then on, before I go to bed I lock the kitchen door - I feel safer about going upstairs at night.”
Norman fears that if he were suddenly unable to be there for Pearline, she would end up in precarious situations and neglect her basic needs. In need of constant supervision, Pearline relies heavily on Norman to get through each day and would struggle without his support.
Norman knows Pearline better than anyone and expressed concerns around what would happen to her if he was to be affected by an emergency when he first reached out to Carers First.
Our new campaign, ‘Plan for the Best’, encourages carers like Norman to create an emergency plan, so that the person they look after can get the support they need, in a situation where you as their carer are unable to be there.
Haringey-based carers are able to apply for their own emergency plan pack for free, or anyone can download our emergency plan template and print it themselves. It provides a simple template to help people structure their emergency plan – ensuring for a detailed and comprehensive guide as to how best to support the person they care for.
Norman said:
“When caring for relatives with Dementia or Alzheimer's, you get used to their patterns of behaviour – but nothing is static – it keeps changing and you have to adapt to that change. For someone who is not used to these patterns and doesn’t know them well, it can be hard to spot warning signs.”
Norman has now registered a Carers Emergency Plan with support from Carers First, providing peace of mind in his caring role. Having a plan in place can help ease your worries about not being able to care for those you look after at any point in the future.
Hopefully, Norman will never need to activate his plan, however registering a plan ensures that important information is in one place that could be of immense support and help when needed at a critical time, when time might be limited.
“I recommend making an emergency plan and would encourage people to keep updating it as things change.”
To request an emergency plan pack, or to download our emergency plan template, visit our campaign page to find out more.
Online Help and Advice
Visit our online support section where we have provided advice and guidance on a range of relevant topics to help you in your caring role.