A Carer's Insight

Hello, my name is Trevor Clower, I am an unpaid Carer, but today I'm going to talk about another kind of unpaid Carer.

A person who goes through life, has a job and a family and generally gets on with the day-to-day things that entails. When without any warning, their nearest and dearest is struck down with a fall/ Dementia/ Stroke/ Mental Breakdown/ Cancer/Parkinson’s etc. and that person therefore accepts their role and responsibility as their carer.

This is the beginning of the carer’s journey and consequently; the beginning of the Five Sequences of Events…

Part one

Through no fault of their own, they are sucked into the caring role and have no idea of the enormity of what being an unpaid Carer, entails.

The first thing effected is their job. Some might be able to work part time, others have to leave their job completely because of the time needed to be a full time unpaid Carer. Part time work is difficult, and carers often struggle with this because the demands of being an unpaid carer are relentless.

Part two

The Second part of the sequence is when the unpaid Carer’s social life is reduced severely, to the point where it no longer exists. They don’t have spare time to keep social appointments, because of the pressures and demands of being a carer.

Part three

Here is where you might find all the promises from family and friends to call round twice a day or once each week to help you will dwindle, because they too have a life to lead and they too have commitments of their own.

You’ll get lots of advice from good intentioned people and professionals. But it is you, the unpaid Carer, that has to utilise this advice, which only adds to 24/7 care you’re already giving, which – in turn; brings on the guilt you feel from being unable to include all of the good advice within your daily care.

Part Four

The fourth part in this Sequence of Events, is the isolation.

THE WORST!

You start to sleep like a cat; the slightest noise and you’re awake. You can’t leave the house for more than an hour, in case the person you’re caring for has wandered out the house, fallen out of bed or taken the wrong medication.

Professionals start to talk AT you; they don’t listen or take the time to understand what you are dealing with.

Part Five

And finally part five is when the unpaid Carer, eventually, pops up on the NHS radar… Not as an unpaid Carer, but as a patient, in A&E for the first time, as a complete wreck, in deep depression.

They have to be hospitalised, at a cost.

Consequently, the person they were caring for has to be taken into a specialised home, at a high cost.

I want to be positive as much as I can. In that regard I am hoping that my words will fall upon ears of someone who can make a difference, by intervening with this Sequence of Events, effectively… How we Can Change Things for the Better

Simply asking TWO KEY QUESTIONS at the point of diagnosis can make a huge difference:

1. “Who is your unpaid Carer and what are their contact details?”

2. “Can I use your unpaid Carer in your treatment plan?”

It’s so important that these two answers are put in the Patients Notes, NOT on a piece of paper. This consent will follow the Patient wherever they are transferred to, and show clearly that whenever you consult the Patient you invite the unpaid Carer too.

I believe the key to change is to create an understanding that allows the professionals to recognise the unpaid Carer as a resource, not just another person or patient.

Professionals should include and consult the unpaid carer, asking their advice on how to administer their treatment in a way that the Patient will accept and understand can be hugely beneficial. For example inviting the carer to patient meetings allows them to explain the situation in an open, appreciated and fundamentally important way. Carers have insight that no professional could have, they knew the patient before their illness.

By getting the professionals to see the advantages of collaborating with the unpaid Carer and including them in their treatment plan will be a great advantage during discharge. The carer can not only control the environment in the home of their Patient, but will know how to drive the treatment plan in the home and maintain it, because they are a part of the plan and fully informed. The recognition of the carer’s valuable insight means that they can act as the eyes and ears of the professional in the Patient’s home environment, and this can lead to a reduction in the possibility of readmissions to hospital.

This will effectively stop the isolation occurring and it will help the unpaid Carer to feel valued and listened too, thus stopping the Five Sequences of Events from happening.

I believe this approach to treatment can lead to a happier, healthier patient, who not only has an unpaid Carer who they trust, but one who is fully aware of and included in their treatment plan and not left in the dark.

Intervening effectively with the Five Sequence of Events, creates a happier carer, patient and more efficient service of care.

I have no idea if anyone is even listening to my words and implementing to intervene with the Five Sequences of Events effectively. I can only hope that someone reads this and can help me make a difference.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Trevor Clower

Unpaid Voluntary Parent Carer