Carers Support

Cam is in his late 60s and is disabled. He is the sole carer for his adult daughter who has Ehlers-Danloss Syndrome; Asperger’s; ADHD; Bi-polar disorder; renal and bowel disorders. Whilst his daughter tries to live independently, her mental health has led to frequent arrests for public order offences and she is frequently hospitalised due to bowel blockages and ulcerated wounds.

Cam is on a state pension and finds that the majority of his income is spent on travelling back and forth to check on his daughter and getting her to all of her appointments. He also buys food so that he can make sure she is eating properly and helps with her bills as she is not able to manage her own finances and is frequently in debt. 

Cam did not want anything for himself or his household, but from the discussions we had, it was clear that some support with either shopping or fuel costs would help. We awarded him £300 in Tesco vouchers that he could use for groceries or petrol to try and alleviate some of his costs. 

Cam sent us a note in January:-

“I really do appreciate Race Equality First’s involvement as I admit I am run ragged looking after my daughter. I am on call 24/7 as her carer. Over Christmas, she was in the Grange Hospital four or five times, admitted for several days. I did 480 miles over that period. Last Thursday alone I did 240 miles in 10 hours, back and forth to Neville Hall Hospital where she was being treated. Tomorrow, she is in for another procedure – another 100 miles. I’m borrowing from family and friends to pay for this and I am overdrawn. My state pension is £178 a week and pension credit is £11 a week. I am stretched to the limit and I’m also trying to support my son with his uni costs. I cannot thank you enough for these vouchers. I am overwhelmed.”