How you can support your loved ones from a distance
Our Deputy Managing Director, Sam Stuart-Hill writes about her experiences of growing up, leaving the nest for university then her career, leaving her ageing parents and relatives and the pressures these create as care and support are gradually needed.
Growing up, carefree
As with so many of my West Country peers, I had a fantastic childhood in a seaside town.
Walking to the beach after school was one of the childhood treats that has provided me with memories to savour as I have grown up.
However, as with these same peers, a seaside town in the West Country could not offer me the experiences of adulthood that so many of us look for, so it is with a heavy heart that my parents and grandparents remain while we all move on.
This is the story of my siblings and I and I know we are not alone.
But what happens when someone needs me?
What happens when mum has a hip replacement and dad’s gout becomes incapacitating?
Who does the shopping and takes them to the doctors when I just don’t want to give up my city life and move back to a small town.
I am wracked with guilt at the thought of this.
I feel like I am letting them down.
What am I offering in exchange for the wonderful childhood they offered me?
Many of us need care and support for our loved ones
I reflected on this as I discussed with Karen, our Torbay Branch Director, who was responding to a family living in the north of England with parents in Torquay who needed care and general help around the home.
We discussed how this was by no means the first instance of this she has dealt with – Karen has clients whose families live in America, Dubai and Australia; London, Bristol and Birmingham in the UK.
Even as close as Exeter where work constraints mean that the daughter can’t be there for her mum to help on a daily basis.
A solution that cares
It seems that the formula for contented families is simple in these situations.
By offering a full spectrum of support and care options – we have a network of fully checked care professionals throughout the South West that we introduce to our customers, and a dedicated local branch director, so we can provide families with a single point of contact to let them know that mum or dad are well.
Brand standard continuity of care means that the same lady that takes mum shopping every week.
Flexible packages that can be increased or decreased as and when people feel better ensures a proactive approach to supporting well being.
Most of all, we can be content knowing that our parents and grandparents stay happy and cared for in our family home.
Our families love that they can still offer us our childhood bedrooms and there’s space for our children too because they in their home: our home.
Care at Heart
Our passion is driven by keeping families going in the homes and spaces that they love.
By keeping care at the heart of everything we do, we offer children the option to care for their parents from not just the other end of the M5 but the other side of the world too.
Looking for at-home care for your loved ones in Devon?
Browse our home care services, ranging from elderly at-home care to return from hospital care and help around the house.
