Support in times of need

Category – Respite care

Stepping in and stepping up to be there for the whole family

Situation

Shefali is a Bangladeshi woman in her 30s with an inherited progressive illness which affects her brain. Her husband is at work all week and Shefali has a young son who needs looking after.

Challenge

The brain impairment causes a big problem for Shefali to communicate and has increased behavioural problems. 

Our Fieldcare Supervisor was wearing a bandana style headband and Shefali could not cope with this.

Her mobility is precarious because of a lack of balance from the brain condition.

Support Provided

Shefali’s husband sends us his work schedule, so it’s clear when we are needed for respite care and when he is present for Shefali and her needs. He doesn’t have much time to himself

Our Care Workers are present around Shefali’s personal care to make sure she is safe and there is consistency in how things are done – with the way her husband conducts her care as a baseline

Her husband prepares food the way Shefali likes it, and we make sure that she is able to eat it safely

Some weeks we are with Shefali a couple of hours and sometimes all day, giving the husband flexibility

We work really hard for the same Care Workers to be present, helping Shefali stay calm

Impact

Shefali is calmer because there is continuity in care with the same Care Workers, and they have been briefed about not wearing anything on their head

When we started working with her, Shefali could speak and could control her toileting, but with her diminishing health, we are a constant presence reassuring her as her communication reduces and she has issues with incontinence etcShefali’s husband now has some life of his own, with his son, to enjoy life because we can step in at times when he’s not working too