Carers Week – The Life of an Abicare Carer

This week we’re celebrating Carers Week – An annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, to highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and to recognise the contribution they make, and this year’s theme is ‘Make caring visible, valued and supported.’ Carers Week also helps signpost unpaid carers to access much-needed support.

Abicare can help relieve the challenges and pressure that many unpaid carers face with our range of care services, including Visiting Care, Live-in Care, Respite Care, Home Help, Companionship and Complex and Specialist Care.  Visit https://abicare.co.uk/services/ to find out more about our care services.

Who are the Abicare Carers in Your Community?

We are just like you. Just ordinary people living similar lives and going through the same hardships as everyone else. 

We are parents, grandparents, gay, straight, men, women, students, retired.  

We hope our blog will introduce you to some of our staff and give you an insight into their day to day caring lives.

Some may share their outside interests or invite you into their pre-caring lives. We hope by being able to identify with us you may be tempted to join us.

In this blog Lisa, one of our carers in Bradford-on-Avon, shares her experiences of what it’s like being an Abicare Carer. We hope you enjoy reading her story!

I am…

I am she, I am mum, I am a Carer…

Life being me hasn’t always been easy, I’ve lost, I’ve gained but more importantly I’m still here, embracing every moment while I can!

I am a mother to a disabled son, he has global development delay and autism spectrum disorder with major behavioural and sensory issues.

My home life is extremely difficult with my son, being a single parent, and my personal health issues of chronic pain & fatigue, fibromyalgia, endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome.

But putting all that aside I am still a compassionate Care Assistant, for my fantastic employer Abicare. All the team at Abicare are sublime, they support me in every aspect of my role, they are extremely understanding and have been so flexible with my hours, and are extremely understanding of my ability to safely carry out all tasks required when with a client. They fit in almost perfectly within my life and the times I am available. I have around the clock training to keep my memory refreshed.

Compassion, companionship and care is what I strive for when I am with my clients and if they are content in my company, talk freely/confidently and all necessary care has been achieved then I know I’ve done my role successfully.

Abicare means 

A- Achieving

B- Better

I – Independence

And that’s exactly what that is, not only for our clients but for us Carers too.

Without my part time role I wouldn’t feel I’ve achieved better independence at all. This is my time to help those that cannot always help themselves while I still can because you just simply never know when the shoe will be on the other foot!

Stay humble, appreciate what’s right in front of you, things won’t always be right there. Memories come and sometimes go and we will and do often see this within our roles.

You know they always say, “don’t get attached” but that is inevitable! You care for the clients as if they are your own family! You form a bond and a connection like no other. They trust you with their life in a time of need! You can’t walk away feeling unfulfilled when you’ve made someone comfortable and relaxed.

Just remember anyone has the ability to care. If you are compassionate and strive for that warm feeling inside when you know you have improved someone’s day, then Abicare has a flexible role to suit you and your life too.

As the famous saying goes “if I can do it, you can do it too.”

Good day, good night and may peace find you.

With love Lisa. X