Carers do it for love not money

Most genuine carers would gladly give up the pittance paid to them in benefits to have a more normal and stress free life.

 

I THINK it is wise to have some experience of a subject before voicing opinions.

D Hewitt, of Newcastle, (Sentinel, April 7) obviously has none otherwise he or she would not have come out with such a narrow view on carers.

I however, do speak from experience. I have raised a child with Prader-Willi syndrome which is a very difficult and stressful condition to cope with.

I have a husband who has manic depressive illness and I have recently helped my aged mother nurse my lovely father, who was suffering with dementia, until his death.

I did all this, not because it was my duty, but because I loved all these people.

It has been down right hard at times and no amount of money can take away the subsequent stress and distress that is endured.

The intense pressures and stresses impact on so much of the carer’s personal life too.

You develop health problems, have low self esteem and feel invisible to the world. Your friends drift away because you are no longer fun and haven’t the time to invest in the relationship. You have very little, if any, social life and even family members can prefer not to invite you and your child to gatherings.

Caring for a child with disabilities is not like caring for a child with none. Family life becomes more complicated. It is a fact that many partnerships suffer due to the pressures of caring for a child with disabilities.

Also parents often have to fight to get any outside help or respite.

Through love and gratitude, I now care for my remaining parent.

I would like to put it to D Hewitt that if caring takes the whole of your life up and you have no chance to seek paid employment, how are you supposed to pay your bills?

Most genuine carers would gladly give up the pittance paid to them in benefits to have a more normal and stress free life. Before you can receive carer’s allowance you have to be caring for the personal needs of someone for the minimum of 35 hours a week – not including the time taken to fill in forms, do shopping etc.

Who would like to swap their paid jobs to be a full time carer? Come on, line up!

MARY WALLEY Weston Coyney

http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk