Our advisers take a whole family approach when working with carers regardless of age. This blog is a small snippet of some of the work we do with families across our organisation.
Liam is a registered Young Carer for his mum Christine. Back in September, Sheree (Liam’s YC Adviser) was approached by Christine who recognised she needed support with things within the family home, as it was getting Christine and her son down. Sheree could see how important this was to Christine so they decided to come up with an action plan together.
What Sheree has to say about the support:
Due to Christine’s condition it was very difficult for her to find the motivation and physical strength to ‘declutter’ so I offered 4 sessions spread over a month to support Christine in achieving her decluttering goal. Within these sessions we looked at goal setting and why the decluttering was important to Christine. Christine managed a To Do list in-between visits and found the motivation and happiness in taking her own lead in clearing. I have noticed a positive change in both Christine and Liam which makes things like this worthwhile. We are overwhelmed with not only the progress they have made to their home, but with the sheer generosity that Christine and Liam have given to others, They were able to donate;
- therapy books to our Wellbeing projects which have been used for group sessions
- bedding, curtains, duvets to another family registered with us
- Crafts for our Young Carers
- Boxes of unwanted items to the charity shops
And lots more!
Christine’s response:
Firstly I would like to say a huge thank you for taking time to spend with Liam and I to help us sort out the house. We are so grateful.
Young Carers has been a life line for me and Liam has benefited so much from going to the clubs and activities.
I feel very happy to have donated all the things because I was once in a position where I had nothing and was starting from scratch. I was pregnant and living in a mother and baby unit. From there after I had my Daughter I was given a flat and had just a suitcase with my clothes and bits for my baby. I needed furniture etc and to begin with I relied on friends or family donations and I pretty much furnished my flat with things from the Gatehouse Charity. So I know what it’s like to have nothing and now to be in a position to give to others has been such a wonderful feeling. I hope that I’ve made a difference in a small way. I will always be so grateful for the help I was given.
Summary:
Like Christine, many of us have things that hinder our ability to feel content in life, and yet it can take something small to make a bigger change long term. Luckily for this family Christine was able to see her Goal clearly and take action to work towards it with the help of an adviser. If you’re struggling to achieve a goal big or small, why not check out our Goal Setting post to help you get started.
