Caroline and Brendan’s story
Caroline worked as a home carer in social services for 12 years. She and her husband, Brendan, suffer with multiple complex conditions and have found it very difficult in recent years during which time they were made homeless and had to battle cancer. Brendan lost a lot of his mobility after surgery and started spending most of his days days lying in bed listening to the radio. Before the cancer, Brendan was an accomplished writer. Unfortunately, due to his complex needs he became unable to use a pen and paper and began struggling with new technology.
“I was looking for some financial support to enable my disabled husband to pick up on his previous studies and hobby of creative writing. I came across the Care Workers Charity while searching online and from day one, I felt that our application was being considered sympathetically. When you are disabled and not working you feel as though you have slipped into obscurity, as if you have become invisible. Now we know we are seen and we matter. That is priceless.”
Reunited with a hobby
Caroline approached The Care Workers Charity to see if we could improve their life at home by providing Brendan with the means to continue his creative writing. It was important for Brendan to use his passion to not only improve his quality of life, but earn some money and prevent reliance on benefit entitlements. We were delighted to purchase a suitable laptop, pay the fees for a creative writing course fees and clear away the cobwebs.
“Life is improving. My husband is spending more of his time following his writing. Before he was given the equipment, he had so very little to occupy his time. Days, for him, were long and dull. He is now thinking forward more. It’s still early days but I have noticed an improvement in his mental health even in this short time. We will be in a better position even if his writing is not as financially rewarding as we hope it will become. If all that we achieve is for my husband to be able to spend his time writing then our lives will be improved.”
Words of advice
We asked Caroline if there was any advice she would like to offer anyone who was looking for similar support.
“The worst that will happen is they will say no. It has taken a while for us to be able to ask – pride gets in the way and I think there is a negative feeling towards a person who cannot help themselves. Half the battle is having the courage to ask for help and I have never felt anything other than support, compassion and kindness from The Care Workers Charity.”
How we can help you
Our confidential grants service is here to help you on your rainy day by making sure you do not face financial hardship alone.
If you have worked in the care sector and are experiencing financial hardship brought upon by an unexpected or sudden drop in income, ill health, injury, bereavement, changes in living circumstances or a relationship breakdown then we may be able to offer you support.
Please visit our grants page to find out more and apply