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Royal college of psychiatrists

Partners in care: sharing

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

My wife, Pauline, died from Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 59. She was 51 when diagnosed after several years of problems. I cared for her at home. For the first 3 years, I maintained my employment, albeit on an increasingly part-time basis, but resigned from work and cared for her full-time for 5 years when her needs demanded round-the-clock attention. She remained in her own home to within 5 weeks of her death, when fracturing my leg put paid to my direct caring role.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:18

Partners in care: who cares for the carers?

Little time may be taken to listen to what carers have to say or explain clinical and service policies. The odd 5 minutes at the end of a busy clinic is not enough; being paraded in front of the ward round is simply unacceptable, but it still happens. A 20-mile trip for family carers just as imprisoned by the patient’s mental illness, geographically and financially, may be impossible.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:10