When you’re a parent carer like Shelagh, you don’t always acknowledge the fact that you’re a carer when looking after your son or daughter. Shelagh’s son Carl, now 16, has Down’s Syndrome.
“When they’re babies, they’re babies. My eldest son Aaron is 21 and doesn’t have any additional needs so it took somebody to point out that I was doing more than is normal as a mother for Carl.
“It was a bit of a slow realisation. I didn’t label myself as a ‘carer’ from the very beginning. When it’s from birth, you start off as looking after a baby just like everyone else.”
It wasn’t until Carl got a little bit older that she realised she was a carer. Carl wasn’t able to walk until he was five years old because of Down’s Syndrome.
Shelagh and her husband both managed, but it was the school holidays when Shelagh really struggled with her caring role and knew she had to seek out some support.
“I began to recognise we needed some help and that I wasn’t coping with everything in the school holidays when I was trying to manage things with Carl.
“I didn’t call social services for years because I knew I would break down and cry. I think you sometimes need a bit of an intervention. In the early days, I needed that little push to get help.”
Since then, Shelagh has received some fantastic support from a great social worker and in due course was put in touch with carer support services, including Carer Support Wiltshire.
One of the services she’s benefitted from is access to a Carers Clinic at her local GP surgery where she was also given a prescription break.
“I was invited to a Carers Clinic and I thought I might as well.
“The nurse checks your blood pressure and all that sort of thing. Then there was a finance and support part to it and I thought ‘I don’t really need this’ but it ended up being really worthwhile because they told me about accessing a prescription break.
“Since I have my own health needs (Shelagh has arthritis), it meant that I was entitled to access a break to the value of £50 which was a very welcome surprise.”
Shelagh decided to spend the break on a couple of manicures which she found gave her a ‘real lift’. It was something she had always fancied having, but had never been able to take the time to enjoy.
Nowadays, Shelagh feels able to carry on caring thanks to the outside support she’s received.
“In the past it was a struggle to fill up empty days. If you’d spoken to me years ago, I would have been blubbing my eyes out.
“We’re in a much better place now we’ve accessed support and local services. When I’m at a low ebb, I know that I can pick up the phone to Carer Support Wiltshire and have a moan. It helps to know someone is there.”
Would you benefit from a prescription break like Shelagh? Find out more on our breaks page.
