The life of a Carer

Thought I would re start doing a blog. It's been ten years since the boys were born and it's been a roller coaster ride but one I wouldn't change for the world. The reason for this re think about writing is down to the death of a young man who was taken way too soon. His mum was an inspiration to me who when I first met her scared the hell out of me. She was a single parent who had asked me to meet her for a coffee and ask my advice over certain matters. At the time she seemed a hard lady who would take no shit from anyone. The more I got to know her and like an onion peeled back her defences she showed all that hard exterior was protecting a lady who had had a raw deal from life. Not because her son was disabled but because she had to do it all herself. There was no help from the Local Authority, health and had to fight for what was rightfully due to her. It exhausted her like most other carers in her situation. Unfortunately her son passed away a few weeks ago and she was literally left with nothing. After all these years of caring for her boy and saving the Government thousands of pounds, they took everything away from the day he died. Like most of us Carers, there is no back up. The mobility car had to go back, the money that she had to live on was stopped straight away and the house which was adapted for him will be going too. While she was sitting in the hospital waiting for her boy, she was having to think about getting a job and how she was going to pay for things rather than mourning her son. Is that a way to treat someone who through no fault of their own, devotes their lives to caring for their loved ones? It's bad enough that they have lost the person that means the most to them without having their dignity and possessions taken from them leaving them basically destitute. For us Carers, that is always at the back of our minds and brings home how fragile life is and how people are taken for granted by this Country x