Reply To: The carers keep changing

[Katy Evans]

Hello, thank you for your post and for sharing with the forum.
One of the main objectives within the Social Care acts within the UK, is that what matters/what’s important to the person is at the forefront of all assessments so that they are person-centred. The realities of the social care system is that care in the community is often a challenge in delivery, with covid making care delivery far from ideal due to staff shortages. All care packages should have an individual care plan that the care agency (and in turn the carers) are given. Perhaps it is worth asking to see this care plan to try and understand what has been shared? For carers to understand your husband’s needs in the way that you do, it may be worth asking for a meeting with your husband’s care manager/social worker to review the plan and then meet with the agency to address this and the issue in terms of different carers?

Continuity of care is essential in dementia care and it sounds as though the different carers are leading to a negative experience. Please speak to the care agency and social worker and stress the detrimental effect this is having on both yourself and your husband. In some areas, there are care agencies which specifically work with people with dementia and it may be worth exploring if there are any that you would be able to access?

As a discussion for the carer forum, have many people been able to access dementia-specialist care agencies? What has been your experience of these? What has helped you in similar situations with care agencies?

Feeling guilty about not being able to care is a natural response, and it is important that you recognise that although your husband is having a care package, you continue to provide the remaining care throughout the day/night, but also are ensuring that your husband’s best interests are being met. Please see our Virtual Care Centre for support on well-being and there are also links to our Live Online Learning sessions.
Kind Regards, Dementia Carers Count