Respite compared to ‘winning lottery’ as call goes out for more short-break carers

As part of their recruitment drive, the team played two videos at last Thursday’s (November 21) board meeting of the Southern HSC Trust, with one lady explaining how much she enjoys fostering, while the mother of a child requiring constant care said she valued respite breaks – which she compared to “winning lottery tickets”.

One of the videos featured Diane, whose son Carson has acute needs. She stated: “Our youngest son Carson avails of respite through the Short Breaks team.

“Before we were able to avail of respite, our family was at a crisis point and in despair, and since then, respite has had such a huge positive impact on our son Carson, but also on our family as a whole.

“Carson faces significant challenges daily due to his complex needs and disability. The respite provides a home-to-home care package for him, and that gives us great comfort as parents.

“His time away from home allows him to get a break from home life. The tailored care to his needs is second to none, and it also encourages both personal growth and independence.

“He’s building new relationships with other people, and the compassion and care that [his carer] shows our son is just amazing, and for our family, the respite has been equally transformative.

“As caregivers, we often experience physical and emotional exhaustion [due to] the constant responsibility of ensuring Carson’s wellbeing needs are met.

“It gives us the chance to rest and recharge, and we can return to our caregiving role with a sense of renewed energy, patience and perspective.

“This break also allows us to maintain a healthier balance between caring for Carson and attending to our own needs, and those of our older son who has struggled greatly over the years.

“Respite has benefitted everyone in our family. On his nights away, we can spend quality time together as a family and focus on bonding with our older son, Tyler, which he absolutely loves.

“He’s always eager to know what we’re going to do next, which is lovely, and it also provides us with peace of mind.

“While we’re doing these family activities Carson is being well looked after, and he is comfortable and he is happy, and all his needs are met with such compassion and care.

“Overall, respite has been such a crucial support system. It has certainly improved our quality of life, has strengthened our capacity to be able to care for Carson long-term, while also improving his quality of life.

“Respite is so crucial for families, providing caregivers with much-needed breaks from the constant demands of caregiving. And speaking from experience, it has helped prevent many burnouts, and it has reduced my stress.

“It ensures that as a mother I can continue offering the best care possible to both my children, and especially the more demanding care needs that Carson requires.

“Without it, I would be chronically exhausted, both physically and emotionally, which has happened in the past and has had an impact on both my mental and physical health.

“It is absolutely impossible to pour from an empty cup and I know that now, and this is why we always say in our family that the respite that we are provided with by the carers’ team is like a winning lottery ticket to our family.

“It has honestly been life-changing on so many levels that we cannot begin to explain, and we’re just forever grateful.”

An unnamed carer was also featured during the video presentation, and she explained why she is so passionate about her role as a part-time carer: “I find fostering very rewarding. My first child that I took on, coming on nine years now, will be leaving me soon, he will be moving on to Adult Services.

“I’m going to miss him a lot and he really was part of my family.

“At present, I am a single foster carer, and I have six children on my books. They come at different times of the month, and all one-to-one.

“I just think it’s so important for that child, when they’re out of their own environment, to have just that one-to-one.

“I can’t say how important it is to have a good network behind, which I really do have. I’m very blessed. And I get regular phone calls from my social worker, from the girls in the office. I also get calls from the manager in the office.

“The manager checks up on me to see how I’m dealing with things, to see if I’m feeling okay, and to say thank you to me for all the work that I do. It’s really nice to feel appreciated in what you do.

“I do love my job. I wouldn’t have been very confident at the start, but with the help and encouragement that I’ve had over the past few years from everywhere and everyone that I meet, I’m really happy.

“And I say to anyone that is thinking of fostering, please try it. Please give it a go. If you could do it full-time, if you could do it part-time, if you could even do one night a month, it is such an amazing job to do.

“It’s rewarding for the families who desperately need that break, be it to recharge their batteries, be it to maybe take the other siblings to things like swimming or the cinema even.

“If anyone out there is thinking of fostering, please give it a go. It really will enrich your life as it has mine.”

For more information on fostering opportunities, contact the Short Breaks team. Tel: 02837 564350. Email: [email protected]