I found the meeting with our social worker yesterday very reassuring.  It soon became clear that Sue is singing from the same hymn sheet as Maureen and I.  She had grasped that the current arrangements for carer sits need to be fundamentally changed.

At the end of our discussions it was one of those occasions when less is more.  Sue has heeded Maureen’s call that she doesn’t need babysitting.  We didn’t use the words but it is clear that Sue has no truck with ‘Prescribed Disengagement’ (Swaffer).  Her guidance to the Care Agency will be that staff need to play their part in helping Maureen regain confidence, and competence.  Carers are definitely not here to chat, and just make sure Maureen is safe.

I am very optimistic that the new arrangements will be beneficial to us both.  We have all agreed that two hour sits will be adequate in future.  The revised arrangements will give me adequate time for myself, and long enough for Maureen to spend in the company of carers.

The discussions about my need to see my family were as thorny as always.  Maureen seems to have accepted that I will go alone in a couple of weeks, and has agreed to round-the-clock care whilst I’m away.  We are all hoping that as she gets stronger we will be able to make the trip together

I am sure some readers of this Blog will wonder what we are doing giving up 3 hours of free care a week.  My simple answer is that it would be hypocritical not to.  Why waste resources that are so scarce at the moment?  Trust is so important in all of this.   We are now working with a social worker who understands that needs fluctuate, and  flexibility is key to Maureen’s and my welfare.

This is such a refreshing change from the difficulties we have had in the past.   Some of my colleagues on Talking Point were concerned that there would be recriminations for raising concerns about the previous social worker: nothing could be further from the truth.