I Care: Charity gives dementia carers a welcome break

Published 16 Jul 2009 11:00 0 Comments

Share this

WATCHING a loved one slowly lose their hold on memories, speech and even simple tasks is the heartbreaking daily experience of many carers in Reading.

For couples where one person suffers from dementia, the added burden on the carer is that they can no longer share their worries with their closest friend.

This is where charities like Crossroads provide such a vital service. As well as respite care, Crossroads offers a listening ear.

Royston Hine, who cares for his wife Heather, said: "Being a carer is a very hard situation and I am just so grateful that Crossroads gives us some support, because there isn't much else. It is a lifeline."

Mr Hine, 66, was a butcher at Greens of Pangbourne until his wife's frontal temporal dementia became so severe six years ago that he gave up work to look after her at home in east Reading, helped by their five children.

He said: "It is like having a very large two-year-old. You have to keep the doors locked and I've got stair gates at the top and bottom, it's quite an operation.

"It is very, very hard, especially when we have disturbed nights. She can't help it - she just gets restless."

Social services carers help twice a day but Crossroads provides another carer and two weekly activity groups, allowing Mr Hine to do the shopping and have a break.

l See www.readingcrossroads.org or call 0118 945 4209.

Donations, as cheques made payable to Reading Crossroads, can be posted to Reading Crossroads, 14 Norcot Road, Tilehurst, Reading, RG30 6BU.

This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 16 Jul 09

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.

Follow @rdgchronicle