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A family from the Wirral has praised the council's Shared Lives support service after it allowed their daughter to enjoy her wedding, knowing her father with dementia was being taken care of in a family home.
Lynne gave up her full-time job to care for her dad Harold. Her wedding was approaching, and she was worried about who would look after him on the day. Previous experiences of respite care had reportedly left Harold withdrawn and quieter than before.
Shared Lives is a council-run CQC-regulated service that matches adults who need support with trained carers in a real home environment. They offer long and short-term care placements, respite holidays, and day support. They help people with conditions like Lynne's father, as well as those with learning disabilities, people with physical disabilities, mental health issues, those with additional needs, and victims of domestic abuse.
After speaking to the team, Lynne was introduced to potential carers. Two initial matches couldn't progress due to changes in circumstances, but the team continued working with her until they found someone who felt right for Harold – a carer called Karen.
Karen and her husband already had an unexpected connection to Harold. Karen's husband remembered Harold as a neighbour from his childhood, which made the proccess feel easy.
Karen said in a statement: "It was an absolute pleasure to be matched with Harold. He instantly became part of the family, and it was great that I could spend quality time with him. We would sit down and watch musicals, and we would both enjoy singing along and having a good chat. We went out for walks often, although Harold cannot walk too far. It was thoroughly enjoyable and one of the most rewarding arrangements I have ever had."
Speaking about Harold's stay, Lynne said: "The weekend trial at Karen's house went amazingly well and put my mind at rest too. I wanted him to have some one-to-one time, human contact and feel like part of a family – home from home. I didn't want him feeling alone, confused, neglected or afraid."
Unlike previous times, when Harold came home, he was quickly back in his usual routine. Lynne saw this, and she and her new husband are now planning other trips away as they feel Harold is in safe hands.
Lynne said she will be using Karen as a carer again and recalled how amazing Karen and her husband Vincent were with her father, saying they "treated him as one of the family". She thanked them for taking care of him.
