‘Carers need cared for too’

A LOCAL woman who cares for her husband who has Parkinson’s disease has said that people in her position need more support to make it through ‘times of struggle’.

Since Peter Rodgers received his diagnosis eight years ago, he has had to lean increasingly heavily on his wife Mary, a job which she accepts without complaint.

However, despite her unwavering willingness to help her 75-year-old husband, Mary, who is 73 herself, admits that there are moments when she wishes there was a more robust system of support that she could avail of.

In line with recommendations made in a recent Parkinson’s UK report, Mary believes carers’ needs should be prioritised by local and national policy makers.

“Peter has had Parkinson’s for about eight years, and, thankfully, he still has a level of control over his body that allows him to hold onto a decent degree of independence.

“If I want to go to the shop or head out with family for an afternoon, I can do that.

“The day will probably come when that is no longer possible. But, at the moment, that isn’t a problem.”

However, what is a pressing issue for Mary is the lack of statutory support for the thousands of family members across the North who are caring for loved ones with Parkinson’s disease.

“Peter needs monitored on a constant basis. Medication is a big thing, so you need to be really attentive to that. I have to make sure he gets it four times a day at precisely the right time, and that all of that is recorded.

“This is vitally important; if you get it wrong, his movement starts to slow, his mobility suffers, he gets lethargic and tired, and his walking gets worse.”

This level of responsibility comes with a considerable weight of pressure that Mary said ‘takes a toll’ on a carer’s mental health.

“It is not all bad and I am lucky that Peter is as well as he is. However, there are certain things that do set you back.”

Elucidating the sort of events that tend to exacerbate her already-onerous job, Mary was frank and honest.

“Sometimes it is hard to watch the person you love, struggling to do things that once would have come easy to them.

“Sometimes Peter will ask me to do something for him and I can see he feels bad about it, then that makes me feel bad too. It’s nothing in particular, but every so often you just now you need some help. But where do you go? Who did you talk to?”

When we asked Mary what help she would like to be made available, she did not hesitate.

“I have a very dependable family that are always willing to listen to me. But it would be useful to have somebody outside the house that could hear what I have to say; someone beyond the immediate family circle, who could offer some advice and encouragement.”

However, despite an apparent absence of statutory support, Mary did say she has found great strength and succour in Omagh’s Parkinson’s Support Group.

“Joining the group is one of the best things we ever done.

“Getting a diagnosis is not easy, but going to that group helped us discover that everybody feels the same. Hearing from other people who have lived through the same shock, fear and dread has made a big difference.

“It was by attending meetings that we learned the importance of living life day-by-day. It there that I learned how conversation and bit of craic can take your mind off things.

“On the third Tuesday of every month, we go to a different world, one where we can one minute be learning about Parkinson’s, and the next forgetting all about it.

“By sharing my story I was people to take notice of the need there is for better support for carers. But, as well as that, I want people to know about Omagh’s Parkinson’s Support Group – it a great thing and it has made a big difference for us.”