LADY CRABTREE has been Patron of the ASSOCIATION OF CARERS since 2019, a charity which does amazing work supporting carers in East Sussex.
A carer is someone of any age who provides unpaid support to a husband, wife, partner, child, parent, family member or friend who could not manage without this help. This involves caring for someone who is ill, injured, frail, disabled or has mental health or substance misuse problems. It means dealing with everything from cancer to Alzheimer's. There are currently around 62,000 unpaid carers in East Sussex. Of these, 13,000 are providing 50 hours or more of unpaid care per week.
The charity's "Respite and Befriending" service gives carers the opportunity to have some time to themselves, usually three hours each week, on the same day, at the same time.
It offers "Talk and Support" - a telephone service for carers which matches a volunteer with a carer to talk through how they are feeling and deal with any problems.
"Computer Help At Home" is a service where a volunteer teaches a carer how to use the carer's own computer in their own home in ways that will support them in their caring role.
And so much more... Many events, such as a monthly lunch club, provide opportunities for carers to have a break from caring, relax and chat with other people who are in the same situation.
Of course, there has to be continual fundraising and, as Patron, Lady Crabtree looks forward to attending fundraising events, meeting carers, and highlighting the support that the charity can give. 60% of us will have to care for somebody at some point in our lives, and many of us will one day need somebody to care for us. Lady Crabtree is very honoured to be the charity's Patron and looks forward to doing what she can to publicise their work.
For more information about the charity and its work, visit:
MESSAGE FROM LADY CRABTREE:
Over the past forty years Lady Crabtree has raised many hundreds of thousands of pounds for a wide range of charities and is particularly delighted to be Patron of the Association of Carers. “In 2017 I unexpectedly found myself taking on the role of carer when David, a member of my family, fell and broke his neck while opening the front door to the postman,” she says. “As many carers know, life changes in an instant. Because he had shattered the first two vertebrae – C1 and C2 – specialists told me that there was a high chance that he would die or be paralysed from the neck down. The break is rather gruesomely known as the Hangman’s Fracture, because they are the two vertebrae that hangmen aimed to break to dispatch someone swiftly!
“In David’s case a piece of bone called the Odontoid Peg had also broken off one of the vertebrae and was touching the spinal cord. An operation to repair the fracture was considered extremely dangerous and no surgeon was prepared to take the risk. Consequently, David was put into a metal frame, that was quite literally screwed into his head, which meant that he could not move his head or neck at all.
“When he eventually came out of hospital, our dining room was turned into a downstairs bedroom, complete with electronic adjustable bed, and I became a 24-hour carer as David could do little for himself. Clothes wouldn’t fit over the bulky metal frame, so I had to adapt shirts and buy huge cardigans as nothing could go over his head. Each morning there was a two-hour process of getting him up, toileting, washing, shaving, dressing and so on before I could even give him his breakfast.
“The days were not only filled with caring for him and his various needs, but dealing with physiotherapists, dieticians, a chiropodist and an endless stream of visitors, on top of having to do the shopping, walk the dog and the day to day running of the house. I suddenly found myself learning how to cut hair, dealing with obstreperous hospital receptionists, or standing in chemists chatting to the pharmacist about constipation and the various unpleasant side effects of all the medication. Not to mention trying to arrange care when I had to fulfil my diary of engagements so that I did not let other people down. Plus we regularly had to make long journeys in an ambulance for various scans and hospital visits. At the end of each day I would collapse into bed at midnight, close my eyes and before I knew it, the alarm would go off and it would be time to begin the procedure all over again. I can honestly say that I have never felt so tired in all my life, and I lost about two-stone in weight.
“So, I do understand just a little of what carers go through and what it entails having to look after a loved-one. The hours it takes, the energy required, the inevitable stress involved, and how at times it can feel very isolating. Thousands of people in East Sussex are spending more than 50 hours a week as an unpaid carer.
“In our situation, dire though it was at times, there was one thing that got us through. Laughter. However bad things were, we never stopped laughing. There must be a reason why they say that it is the best medicine.
“I hope that, as Patron, I can help with fundraising for the Association and publicise the charity in the media whenever I can. I also look forward to meeting carers, volunteers, and some of the people that are cared for. Along the way, I hope that we can have a bit of fun. It has been said that laughter may not add years to your life, but it certainly adds life to your years. ‘I have seen what a laugh can do,’ wrote the comedian Bob Hope, ‘It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful.’ So, if I bring nothing else, I hope that we can have a laugh together when we meet.”
