Looking after someone 2017, Northern Ireland | Page 17

Samantha’s story
Samantha cares for her 53-yearold brother Chris, who has Down’s
syndrome and other complex
conditions. Since Chris moved in
with Samantha 15 years ago, she
has had to fight to get the breaks
from caring that she needs.
While I’ve done everything I
can to give Chris the best possible
life, I haven’t had the time away
from caring that I need and it has
left me exhausted.
Not having regular respite allocated
has meant I have had to apply
to my local authority and wait
months to find out if I had funding.
Sometimes unsuitable options were
offered which I had to turn down,
and while family have helped I
couldn’t always rely on someone
being available.
I’ve had all sorts of difficult
experiences – from having to come
back from a trip early because
Chris was ill, to the phone call I
received at the start of my holiday
to say Chris’ medication had been
lost, even though I hand-delivered
it the day before. Luckily they
found it within a few hours, but
the constant phone calls made it
impossible for me to relax.

Not being able to switch off from
caring has affected my physical and
mental health, and meant I haven’t
had the time away with my family
that we all needed.
Recently our situation has got much
better. I worked out how much I was
saving our local authority by caring
for Chris at home and stressed how
important it was to be proactive
about my health, so I could continue
caring for Chris. Fortunately my case
was successful, and I now have
regular respite with replacement
care that is suitable for Chris, plus
additional time off for holidays with
my family.
When you’re caring for someone,
you have to value yourself and
remember that you are just as
important as the people you care for.
We get so used to putting the person
we care for first, we forget that our
needs, our health and our
relationships matter.

If you need advice and information about taking a break,
download our factsheet at carersuk.org/ni/break or contact the
Carers NI Adviceline on 028 9043 9843 or at advice@car ersni.org

Looking after someone

carersni.org

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