Carers Trust Cambridgeshire share story of Isleham carer Emma ahead of Carers Rights Day
‘It feels like I’m winning’
Carers Trust Cambridgeshire is using the story of a mother of two from Isleham to raise awareness of the plight that many of the thousands of the county’s carers go through ahead of Carers Rights Day.
The stresses of caring for her husband caused Emma Joy-Staines, 31, to fall ill, and she was later admitted to hospital for tests.
She returned from hospital but struggled to provide care, so she called social services.
“I wasn’t used to asking for help, not even from my family, but I knew I had to do something,” she said.
“I was in an absolute state so I range social services and said, ‘I don’t know what you can do, I don’t know what I need but I need something. Can you help me?’
“They put me in touch in touch with Carers Trust Cambridgeshire. They have been my lifeline – the only organisation to proactively help us. I don’t know what would have happened because I was in a bad way. I was very scared.”
Emma was put in touch with support officer Becca Browne, who looked at the way she was coping as a carer and the impact it was having on her health and well-being.
