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Respite care for patient and carer
There isn’t much let up when you’re living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Short on breath, short on energy and susceptible to infection, it is an illness that can make even the simplest daily tasks hard work.
The patient’s carer will often take on a lot of the strain. In Irene Culshaw’s case, her husband Fred has been by her side in Ripon since long before she was diagnosed with chronic bronchitis in the early 1990s.
Irene, who is 81, fought back against the illness for years, bouncing back regularly from bouts of pneumonia to a state of good health until she was hospitalised seven times inside two months in early 2008. It was here when doctors said her lungs had been irreparably damaged.
Things had been getting increasingly difficult for the grandmother of five and now on permanent oxygen to feed her weak lungs she had been relying more and more on Fred, 83, for most things. Sometimes, Irene and Fred just need a break.
Irene, a cordon bleu chef who ran the couple’s B&B in Wales for 27 years, said: “Fred takes very good care of me but I need to make sure he takes good care of himself too so we both benefit immeasurably from me coming to Saint Michael’s for respite care.
“The enjoyment I get from meeting other patients and being able to relax in a fun environment is wonderful. I have been for respite four times so I know the staff well and they are great to me. But knowing that Fred is getting a good rest and enjoying some time to himself is an enormous relief too.”
Fred added: “Renie adores going to Saint Michael’s. She spent time in day therapy too so she knows the staff and we feel very safe in their care. She gets a break from worrying about me and I know she is in the best possible hands. It lets us both recharge our batteries.”
Fred spends his respite time visiting the couple’s children and grandchildren and gets a little TLC himself. The couple celebrated 60 years of marriage in 2010
Planned respite care at Saint Michael’s is available for periods of a week at a time and is scheduled well in advance.
Contact Us
Contact our fundraising team for more information or ideas on how you can help Saint Michael’s.
T: (01423) 879 687
Universal impact
One in every two people is touched by hospice care, which makes what we do very relevant.
How you can help
Saint Michael’s is a local charity that receives little government funding, so we rely on donations from people like you.
