Shared Lives: Carers needed to share their homes and lives

As Government cutbacks to social welfare budgets begin to bite, the option for community-based schemes that offer a home to adults with a variety of special needs and older people who need support has never looked more attractive both in terms of the money that can be saved by local authorities and also the quality of life offered to the people concerned.

Shared Lives provides an alternative to home care and care homes for disabled adults and older people. It is used by around 12,000 people in the UK and is available in nearly every area.

Half of the people using Shared Lives live with their Shared Lives carer as part of a supportive household and around half visit their Shared Lives carer for day support or overnight breaks. Shared Lives can also provide a stepping stone for someone to get their own place.

The organisation has rigorous training, approval and matching processes, yet also costs less than other forms of care, according to Shared Lives this is on average £26,000 a year cheaper for people with learning disabilities.

Flexible scheme

For carers, the Shared Lives scheme is flexible, allowing them to choose between offering short-term respite care and longer placements. One such couple is Northampton-based Wendy Bell and her partner Phil Chard who started out in 2013 providing respite care for a few people each month and now are caring full time for a young man, Dean.

Their respective careers have to date included providing after school activities, summer schools and a variety of sporting activities for young people. Wendy says: “We started out doing respite at weekends – for physical disabilities. Knowing you’re helping another family is very rewarding. We have helped people with severe cerebral palsy and severe physical disabilities. It can be very hands on – for example, for some we need to look after their personal care needs.”

Although no particular care experience is needed, all the carers we spoke to agreed that you have to like people. Phil Chard sums it all up by saying: “You need both patience and understanding and to be supportive and understanding. You mustn’t be judgemental and above all you need to have empathy as you never know what situation will come up.”

In their new role offering full time support to Dean, the couple agree that they have learned much and above all been able to make an immediate impact on this young person’s life. As Phil says: “Dean is 19 and came to us in May 2015 as an urgent case – he has spent much of his life living in care and was trying out independent living in a flat but had moved in with friends and it didn’t work out. He is very vulnerable and can get himself into difficult situations. He has some learning disabilities although these are not obvious, but he does need help to get by on a daily basis.”

Dean is part of Shared Lives Fit for Life project that aims to improve independence and help with education and employment opportunities. By all accounts Dean’s progress in a short period of time has been remarkable. Says Wendy: “He has fitted into the family well – we have four children between us – and enjoys family life although of course we allow him to make his own choices as to what he joins in with.

“We are helping to support him into further education – he is going to start an NVQ level 2 in acting in September. And we’ve got him involved in a local dance company – to his delight for the first time in his life last week he lived his dream by being part of the performance. Hopefully in time he will be able to live an independent life. Dean loves being with a family – he’s in a settled place and that he’s not experienced before.”

For Wendy and Phil this success story chimes perfectly with why they are proud to be carers. “Knowing you’ve made a difference to someone’s life,” says Wendy “is why we do it.”

What Shared Lives offers carers

Shared Lives has rigorous training, approval and matching processes that includes criminal record checks. The introduction and matching process of carer to client is a gradual business – starting with a short introduction to the would-be client gradually progressing to longer stays with everyone involved having the opportunity to feed back and say whether the ‘match’ suits them. Each client has a contract and placement agreement – and the carer has to maintain detailed records of each person – which means how they’re doing on a practical and emotional level.

The carers are paid by the client and differ according to the client’s level of disability and needs as well as their funding arrangements, but average out at about £320 per person per week. Carers are allowed a month’s respite per year – to be taken as they wish in weekends off or weeks away.

What both Phil and Wendy particularly like about Shared Lives is the ongoing training and support that carers are offered. Wendy says: “We’re constantly training, or having our skills refreshed, in such things as first aid, health and safety, the Mental Capacity Act to name but a few things to ensure we give our clients the best possible care. We also have a support worker from Shared Lives who is available at any time and our training needs are reviewed every year.” Phil adds: “Being relatively new to the caring business, we’ve found the meeting groups with other carers are invaluable for sharing experiences and conferring on recurring things that happen.”

It’s obviously not all a bed of roses, as experienced Shared Lives carer Bev Ryan is the first to admit. She has been involved with the organisation for some fifteen years now – and still looks after the first client placed in her care (who is now 65) as well as others. “Like every family, there are moments,” she says. “You have to be prepared to deal with major issues such as tantrums.” Other challenges that carers may face include behavioural issues such as running off, breaking things, hitting, stealing, inappropriate table manners and so on.

But she is adamant that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. For Bev, working as a Shared Lives carer fitted in well with being a mother of three, and it works well for others who do not want to commit to five days a week in an office. Bev advises those thinking of becoming a Shared Lives carer: “Think and talk about it in great depth with your family – and think about the impact it will have on any partner or children. You are on call 24 hours a day. Be honest and upfront with yourself.

“All the Shared Lives clients are different – not all will go on to lead independent lives. We are essentially helping people to reach their potential whatever that is.” And one might add, lead happier, more settled lives.

For more information on becoming a Shared Lives carer call Shared Lives team on 01604 764583, or send for an application form via accessteam@olympuscareservices.co.uk