A DISABLED man who had given up on getting support after being failed by the adult social care system has now got his life back – thanks to a fast-growing home care provider.
Ray Halton, who lives in Folldingworth, near Lincoln, was diagnosed with MS in 2007 but managed to continue with a normal life until the condition started to worsen seven years ago.
Since that time Ray has struggled with everyday tasks and says his attempt to get the adult social care system involved has made his situation worse.
“As I’ve deteriorated over the years, it’s become harder and harder to do everyday things,”
“I can spend an hour and a half just trying to put my socks on. It really affected my quality of life.
“I found having to try and deal with adult social care increasingly more stressful because there was so much paperwork and it’s a hard system to navigate. I was just going to give up.”
Ray
Ray’s wife has her own health problems, so the couple desperately needed some outside help.
And that help came in the form of Happiest at Home, a North East company which pairs those in need of support with an experienced and qualified CarePal who can assist them at times when they need it.
“It’s made a huge difference to my life,”
“Laura, my CarePal, comes in from 7am until 8.30am every weekday just to help me get out of bed and get ready for the day, then she comes on two other days so I can get involved with leisure activities.
“It’s turned my world around.”
Ray
Happiest at Home matches clients with a CarePal and it’s only when both are happy that the arrangement begins.
It means that there’s continuity of care because the same person turns up for every session and, because the company offers some of the highest rates of pay in the industry, the staff are experienced and committed.
Sam Hackett, director at Happiest at Home, was delighted that they found Ray a good match.
“Social care is so stretched and there are a number of issues that we were well aware of in the industry and that we wanted to address when we launched,” said Sam.
“We wanted to change that situation where people don’t know who is going to turn up from day to day and when they do, they are so time pressed that they can barely spend any time with the client before they’re on to their next job.
“We create a situation where we address everyone’s specific needs and find the right person for them.”
Sam
Happiest at Home is a national service, it has clients and carers across the whole of the UK.
