The plight of Scotland’s carers must be addressed,

The plight of Scotland’s carers

Apr 24 2012 By Craig McQueen

tommy whitelaw

EIGHTEEN months ago, full-time carer Tommy Whitelaw was struggling to cope.

His mother Joan, 72, has vascular dementia, leaving her unable to perform the simplest of tasks or even recognise him.

As the illness progressed, Tommy found himself isolated, cut off from friends and family and from services, which could help.

With the stress taking its toll, the Glasgow 49-year-old visited his GP and began getting some of the help he needed. But Tommy knew he wasn’t the only one and decided then to do something about it.

He embarked on a tour of Scotland, collecting letters from carers detailing their experiences.

They flooded in and he took them to the Scottish Parliament.

As the campaign gained momentum, he’s continued to champion the plight of Scotland’s carers by giving speeches and meeting policymakers.

Tommy planned his tour would last just a week but it quickly captured the imagination of people across the country.

“I got a lot of requests to collect letters and speak at carers’ groups and drop-in centres,” he said.

“I’d talk about my mum and they would talk about their relatives, and it became emotional.

“There were lots of tears and laughter, and the stories were very similar.”

Tommy worked for some of the biggest bands and singers, travelling the globe handling merchandise sales.

During a brief return home he noticed his mother had changed, and she was eventually diagnosed with vascular dementia, the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer’s.

Tommy has devoted himself full-time to caring for his mum since then and said: “I walked out of hospital alone, with my mum.

“You shouldn’t have to walk out alone.

“You should be put in touch with someone who understands dementia and the likely hurdles.

“I’m hoping collecting these stories will help the decision-makers understand how tragic an illness it is and how difficult it is to live with.”

The campaign resulted in Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon inviting Tommy and a group of carers to Parliament to hand over the letters and listen to their story, but he’s determined to continue pressing decision-makers at national and local levels for more action.

He said: “We’re not asking for a miracle here. Just some help to make the experience of caring a bit better.”

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/real-life/2012/04/24/