‘A vital break from the worry and guilt of caring’
Claire cares for her 82 year old Dad who has Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer’s and attends our Maldon Day Care Centre. Her Dad lives at home with Claire’s mum who is also 82 years old, so Claire has the added responsibility of ensuring her Mum is in good health.
Claire faces a lot of pressure as she has her own family to support and she also works, she says she is ‘constantly feeling guilty’ as she tries to give everyone a piece of her time and the demands often outweigh the capacity she has.
Her Dad has been attending the Maldon Day Centre for just over a year and has recently increased his days from 1 to 2 days per week. She says that it has ‘such a positive impact on him’, he is ‘always happier on the days he is in the Centre’, the people around him make him happy and they are not emotionally involved like she or her Mum are and therefore there is less pressure on him.
She is also supporting her Mum who is both physically and emotionally drained and the situation with Dad is seriously affecting her mental health. Both Mum and Claire are ‘so grateful for the break’ they receive when Dad attends the Centre. She knows he is in a ‘safe environment being well cared for’.
If you would like to find out more about Action for Family Carers can support older, vulnerable people, please visit https://affc.org.uk/services/day-care/
