An organisation that helps people with profound learning disabilities and their carers in South Lanarkshire is gearing up for a fundraising Christmas fair.

PAMIS, which helps 85 families across the area, is organising a sale of crafts and jewellery at Wishaw General Hospital on December 2, with all the money raised going towards events and fun activities for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD).

Since the organisation established a base in South Lanarkshire in 2004 the support service’s coordinators have been put in touch with around ten new families each year, and the fundraiser in December will help raise the charity’s profile.

Michelle Morrison and Lesley McLaren are the coordinators in South Lanarkshire.

Michelle said: “The local authority funds our basic service but we do other things throughout the year to help the families and give them something to look forward to. The hospital lets us in for free and I take leaflets and banners to talk to people about the service.

“We currently have 85 families who we are supporting, but we’re always looking for more. Everybody who is taking care of someone with a profound learning disability should be supported, we don’t have a top limit, it’s just about Lesley and I arranging our time.

“While organisations such as the Princess Trust do a great job we felt there was a need to focus on those caring for people with profound disabilities, their needs are very different. They are caring for children 24/7, it’s an emotional and very difficult experience for families, they have a life long fight on their hands.”

Staff at PAMIS offer families who are caring for someone with PMLD and complex healthcare needs with practical information and advice and one-to-one ongoing support.

The centre organises regular training workshops on topics such as welfare reform and the law, and helps carers get in touch with other families. There is no referral service, it is up to families to make the initial contact.

And Michelle says once contact has been made PAMIS can really change carers’ lives.

She explained: “In one case a boy had been knocked down, sustained a brain injury and the family were told to take him home to love but he would probably die.

“They were given a hospital bed but no other support, when we came into contact he was being fed through a tube, he couldn’t support himself, couldn’t sit up or hold his head. He was attending a special needs school but it didn’t really support his needs at all.

“The family was told about us by a professor at Yorkhill, and the mum would probably say today we were a lifeline for her. We helped to identify a councillor, an appropriate school and he’s come along leaps and bounds. He’s now 12, he’s had an operation on his spine and sits a lot straighter, he is no longer eating with a tube.

“It’s really heart rendering to hear some of the struggles, but we are here to help.”

PAMIS also provides a voice in local and national consultation and is continuously campaigning for better services and facilities.

The organisation’s current campaign is Changing Places and is aimed at ensuring that disabled toilets are accessible to everyone.

Michelle explained that the lack of suitable changing facilities in toilets for people with disabilities is one of the most restrictive practical problems preventing families from going out.

She said: “The majority of our clients are wheelchair users, most require incontinence pads and as you can imagine it can be difficult to find a place to change a 30year-old. It’s fine for a three or four-year-old to be changed in the back seat of the car but this is a really big issue for us across Scotland.

“We want to get adult changing places which have enough room for two carers, in South Lanarkshire. All the five Lifestyles centres in South Lanarkshire have them, but we want to see them in shopping centres and retail outlets.

“Families who are caring for people with profound learning disabilities are put off from going out if there is nowhere to go. We just want to make their lives easier.”

The Christmas Fair will run from 9am until 4pm on December 2. For more information about PAMIS contact the South Lanarkshire office on 01698 420411.

http://local.stv.tv/hamilton/news/27523-christmas-fair-to-help-carers-organisation/