Held by Home Instead Senior Care, You Can Care Week focuses on the sterling work individuals, friends and families all over the country do for elderly people in an effort to keep them in a comfortable home environment.
Though the week is intended to share stories on how people care for elderly relatives and friends, we think it’s also important to highlight people who give care to younger relatives. Our Managing Director, Abbie Keech, shares her story of caring for her daughter who was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, or GBS.
In her own words, Abbie writes:
“My daughter was diagnosed at the age of sixteen months with a condition called Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which meant that she was paralysed down her left side. She was hospitalised for six weeks with breathing difficulties, issues with her swallowing and eating, and a non-functional right arm.
“My husband and I spent the time swapping between being with her and doing the normal family activities with our two other children, meaning we hardly saw each other apart from the swap-over time. We wanted to keep the normality for our two boys.
“Once she was released from hospital we had multiple appointments at the hospital, alongside 24-hour care at home. As she was not able to breathe or eat, she also required constant attention and review. Over the next few months, she continued to recover and now at the age of five, she is in mainstream school and coping with a paralysis to her arm with great humility and spirit.
“Care of a loved one is hard work, emotional draining and often very unrewarding. It also essential for that person who would not get the same care from a professional as they would from a loved one. Going through this experience gives you a check on reality and how important is to get your affairs in order in case anything should happen.”
Further reading
Look out for the hashtag #YouCanCare on social media throughout the week.
WHAT TO DO NEXT
If you need advice on how to set any affairs in order, such as Wills or Lasting Powers of Attorney for financial or health matters, get in touch today for a free initial consultation. Choose one of the methods on the right-hand side of this page, or call us on 0113 200 9720 to find out how we can help you.
