Home Instead - Shrewsbury, Oswestry and Wem

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Rachael’s Story

Rachael’s passion to deliver a high quality, considerate and respectful domiciliary care service was based very much on her own personal experiences.... Back in 1993 Rachael went to a family members 100th birthday party. Granny had been in a care home for 8 years after breaking a hip, and on visiting her in the home it was quite clear that she lay in bed most of the day. She didn’t recognise her family members and was hardly able to engage in conversation. To celebrate her birthday on this very special occasion the family thought it a great idea to take her out of the home to have a meal in a pub which was in the village where she grew up. When she arrived she was bewildered, overwhelmed, scared and confused. She sat through the entire meal unable to engage in conversation until……the birthday cake arrived! Suddenly, Granny started to join in with the singing of Happy Birthday, her face lit up so we sang it again and she sang Happy Birthday all the way through. After this she started to engage in conversation with people. It was at this point I realised the effect of her being in the home, where she had suffered from complete lack of stimulation. A few years later her own Grandfather was admitted into hospital. He had been quite active before going in and was certainly sharp of mind however after a few weeks of lying in bed and not eating and drinking properly he started to change in character. He became incredibly confused, he became unable to recognise his family and started to imagine that family from long ago were visiting him. Rachael’s paternal Grandmother lived independently at home well into mid 90’s. She used to say that the hardest part of living at home was the loneliness, if you didn’t see one person from one end of the day to the other. What she really wanted and needed was companionship, someone to talk to or have a cup of tea with who wasn’t in a rush to get away. Unfortunately the care she received was inadequate and the providers were unable to deliver support at a time to her normal daily routine. Instead of waiting for her CAREGivers to arrive she would get in and out of bed unsupported because she refused to wait for them to arrive or refused to go to bed in the evening if they came before her normal bedtime. When they came their visits were very rushed. As a consequence she was incredibly vulnerable at the time she needed most support to ensure her safety. She fell on several occasions which resulted in hospitalisation. In hospital she contracted C-difficile from which she eventually died a very undignified death. Rachael supported her Mum to look after her mother and eventually became her main Carer when she moved into a flat adjacent to her home. She loved the regular visits from her family especially her great grandchildren who would pop in every day after school and she thoroughly enjoyed the dogs going in to sit on her knee. Rachael set up regular pampering sessions and she was able to take her Grandmother out to the shops and other outings. She became a popular and active member of the local community and was able to go to church every Sunday with Rachael’s Mum. Nan loved joining in with the family activities and remained mentally active to the end. Because of her experiences, it became Rachel’s vision to provide care and support to more people like her family did for her Nan. Not only to support clients with everyday tasks and routine appointments but to enable them to continue to remain socially active within their communities, visiting the shops, going to the theatre and concerts, to take them out for meals at the pub or café and encouraging them to join social clubs within their community. It is so important to keep people mentally, physically and socially stimulated to enhance their quality of life and retain their independence. It is Rachael’s belief that at Home Instead we are making a truly remarkable difference to the lives of older and vulnerable people in Shropshire and it is incredibly rewarding for us to make such an impact in our local community. To find out more about our home care services in the Shrewsbury and Oswestry areas, please call us, we love to talk to you.