Support for couples

Bob and his wife, Betty, live together in their home in Suffolk. After Betty developed Alzheimer’s, Bob became her full-time carer. During the early stages of the disease they were still able to get out and about, but Betty’s condition soon took a turn for the worse and their son grew increasingly concerned for his father’s well-being. He contacted Helping Hands to see if we could help.
After getting to know the family and their requirements, we matched them with our live-in carer, Melissa, who soon arrived to provide ongoing support.

“Melissa is extraordinarily calm,” Bob said. “She will do anything to help and knows Betty so well that she knows when to pull back if she can see her anxiety rising. She cares efficiently and expertly and it has made such a lot of difference and relieved a great deal of stress. I really do not know what I would do without her.”
Melissa supports Betty with all of her personal care needs and helps to keep her routine just the way the couple like it. With the reassurance that he can leave his wife in safe hands, Bob can now play a few rounds of golf and attend a lunch club when he has the opportunity.

Bob explained about the importance of live-in support. “I couldn’t have Betty in a care home after all of these years,” he said. “This is her home.”

Sheila is living with a progressive neurological disorder called multiple system atrophy (MSA). Initially supported by her husband, John, and their visiting carers, the couple decided to temporarily move into a residential care home while John was recuperating after an operation. Although the care they received at the home was competently provided and comfortable, Sheila and John wanted to return to their family home. That’s when they contacted Helping Hands.

Sheila explained, “I was very impressed with the level of service we received right from the start. Someone from Helping Hands came to see us while we were in residential care and talked through the option of live-in care and how it could work for us.
“We loved the idea that this would allow us to regain control of our lives,” she added, “that we would be able to choose when to get up or have dinner, that we would be able to do what we wanted when we wanted.”

John has been just as impressed with the level of support they have received from Krista, their live-in carer. Along with Krista’s carer experience, the couple hand-picked her because she shares the same sense of humour as Sheila and has similar tastes in films.
“I would recommend live-in care to anyone,” John shared. “We have been really surprised how unintrusive the carers have been. Having Krista here has allowed Sheila and me to continue to stay in our family home with the support we need; we really enjoy having her here!”