Kath found organising care hard

Kath’s mum was diagnosed with vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease over eight years ago. Kath found organising care hard as she did her best to support her mum to stay living independently in her own home, in line with her wishes.

As Kath’s mum’s mobility decreased and her ability to do things for herself became much more limited, Kath’s local authority wanted her mum to move into a residential care home. However, that wasn’t what her mum wanted. Kath was struggling to make sure that her mum could stay in her home.

Kath’s mum started to get very distressed and was calling Kath hundreds of times each day. It was all getting too much for both of them. This was when Kath came across our Carer Support Line and, in desperation, she gave us a call.

Our specialist advisors were able to help Kath negotiate with her local social services and organise her mum’s care. After a lot of discussions, the local authority agreed to fund carers to support her mum at home. Organising care to meet her mum’s needs was still hard. It took some time to find the right support.

Her mum now has a good care team in place who visits three times a day for meals and also helps with washing and cleaning.

Kath knows that her mum’s needs are increasing and that nothing can change that, but the support she now has in place for her, helps her to cope.