A mum-of-four who cares for her paralysed mum has said a heartfelt thank you to the at-home care team who assist her.
Tracy Slater, 62, is looked after by her daughter Jane, 36, who also has four children to look after, including a 10-month-old baby.
Tracy was fit and health but had a stroke in 2018 and she is now paralysed on her right side, has speech difficulties and is doubly incontinent, needing a lot of hands-on help.
The family have been helpd with an at-home care package from Cera, who have freed up time for Jane and even helped spot signs of cancer for Tracy.
Jane told Express.co.uk: “Cera’s carers have been far more hands on than our previous carers since day one.
“Very soon after they began working with us, they spotted that mum was bleeding and flagged that she needed medical attention.
“Their alert ultimately led to a cancer diagnosis for mum, which is incredibly sad, but if it hadn’t been for Cera, it might have taken us much longer to realise mum had cancer and get her the medical attention she needed.”
Jane receives Universal Credit which pays her rent and helps her support her children, and she also gets Carer’s Allowance.
Her mum’s care is funded by social services although if she goes into residential care, Jane has to contribute towards the costs.
Jane is entitled to two weeks of respite a year, when her mum goes into a care home, with this part-funded by social services with the family covering the rest.
Jane said: “I haven’t had any trouble accessing that support. It’s all been straightforward. The Department for Work and Pensions organised a routine visit to our home to ensure we have all the support we need and helped put everything in place.
“I’m also waiting on a carer’s assessment at the moment, to check all mum’s needs are fully met. On top of this, social services come and do spot checks once in a while to make sure mum is getting the care she needs.”
The daughter wants to raise awareness of care schemes like Cera so other families can benefit. She said: “It’s made a huge difference for me.
“I can go back to being mum’s daughter and a mum to her grandchildren, rather than taking on the role of full-time carer.
“Seeing the quality of care Cera provides and the difference Cera makes for mum and for us as a family has inspired me to think about going back to work as a carer one day in the future when the time is right.
“I used to be a carer and always enjoyed it, but the care Cera provides stands miles apart from other companies I’ve come across. I’d love to work for Cera in the future, and make the same kind of difference to other families’ lives that Cera has made for mine.”
Charlotte Donald, chief care officer at Cera, said: “Cera’s mission is to empower more people to live longer, healthier lives in their own homes.
“Our technology-enabled home healthcare packages are transformative for the tens of thousands of families we support like Tracy and Jane’s.
“Our home-based care prevents the need for hospitalisations or admissions to residential care homes, and enables people who need care to remain at home with their loved ones and stay connected to their communities.
“If you think you or a loved one may be eligible for a care package with Cera, get in touch with your local authority to find out what help may be available.”
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