Carers' Week is over...

With Carers' Week all over for another year, it's time for looking back over things.
Last year, Coo was a bit better than now, but I didn't have much in the way of help & support.
This time he's not so well but we've made the change to get in some 'Care Services' to help us at home.

Our Direct Payment let's us employ Looby (our daughter) flexibly for 28 hours a week and this has made things a whole lot easier.
Things like, if I couldn't find my phone I couldn't go out, as I needed to be continually calling home checking on Coo.
I also had my parents on standby to go help in a hurry if I called them up!

This new way is better for everyone, I can plan when I want to do things and know it will happen rather than be disappointed at the last minute as Coo isn't well enough to leave.
I've been able to go to the Carers Week events with a clear concience which is a new experience, days out with no guilt!
Looby's able to fit around the hours we need her and best of all, I now know when I will have a full nights sleep, previously I just kinda drifted in hope that at some point I'd get some rest.

Looking back I don't know how I managed but having had some regular sleep a few nights a week, I know I was starting to get burn out!
Things are more calmer at home, not that it was bedlam before! but I find myself smiling more and little things don't seem to bother me so much.

For Carers, lack of sleep is more of a problem than I realised, it's just, when you're in a care crisis with not much sleep for a long time, it kinda becomes normal and it's only when the cycle is broken you realise how bad it really was!
I hope anyone considering using Direct Payment finds my experiences helpful!

maz x