Carer’s Journal – December 2025

Here’s another set of journal entries on my life as a carer, to bring things up to date before Christmas. Then I’ll do another post to cover the Christmas period, which will take us into the new year.

The month didn’t start off well in terms of my career, as my support work role is now looking untenable, despite the government claiming it wants disabled people in work. So do excuse my rant in the first journal entry!

But at home things have been a lot better, in terms of Mum’s health and medical appointments, coupled with our preparations for Christmas. I was even able to meet a friend for a festive meal, which was lovely, and look at some of the decorations in the city.

So here’s what’s been going on so far this month, which I hope you find interesting as always.

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October & November 2025 Favourites

Hello again, I hope you’re doing alright and are looking forward to Christmas.

During the last couple of months, my mother has been recovering well from her fractured wrist, both physically and mentally, thanks to all the support she’s received from the NHS and social services. There still are, and always will be, times when she gets anxious or finds things difficult of course. But having melatonin to help her sleep at night, and a wheelchair to help her get out and about more, has given her a real boost, along with various other forms of help she’s had. And at the very end of November I was even able to go out for a long walk and explore the shops by myself like I used to do, because she felt able to cope on her own.

You can find out more about all of that in my journal posts as usual, including some recovery of my own after I had a wisdom tooth extracted. You can also hear an interview I recorded in October for RNIB Connect Radio about my caring role, which was featured in their Good Company show and then released independently as a podcast.

All that aside, I’ve naturally been enjoying plenty of entertainment as well including Doctor Who, comedies, podcasts and audiobooks. So that’s what I’m going to focus on here, and I hope you enjoy this latest roundup!

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Carer’s Journal – November 2025 – Part 2

Time to bring you up to date once again with my life as a carer. And things have gone much better than expected in the latter half of this month, as neither Mum nor I have had any problems resulting from our minor bits of surgery (I had a wisdom tooth out, while she had a small skin biopsy). And Mum’s continued to have more confidence and less anxiety, in large part thanks to her wrist recovery and improved sleep cycle, to the point where I’ve been able to go out for a while by myself like I used to do. So this is quite a positive update, I’m happy to say, and I hope you find it interesting.

Continue reading “Carer’s Journal – November 2025 – Part 2”

Carer’s Journal – November 2025 – Part 1

Welcome to the latest of my journal posts as an unpaid carer, and I’m happy to say that things are continuing to move in the right direction for my mother so far this month. I’ve taken her out in her new wheelchair a couple of times, the reablement care has come to an end so that we can get back into a proper routine, her sleep pattern has improved, and we’ve had another nice mental health appointment. I’ve explained more about all of that in my diary entries below, along with a few other bits and pieces.

In addition, I’ve also appeared on the radio during the past couple of weeks! Back in October I was interviewed by Amelia Hilton for RNIB Connect Radio about my experience of being a carer, in response to the posts I’ve been sharing about it, and it’s now been broadcast and shared online.

You can hear my interview as part of the Good Company Show from November 4, where I also pick a song that means a lot to me, or as a dedicated podcast. So I hope you find it interesting, and thank you so much to Amelia and the team for featuring my story!

I’ve had very kind comments about my caring role from other people as well recently, as you’ll see in these journal posts, which I’m humbled by and grateful for.

So let’s get on with the latest updates, and as always I hope you find it of interest.

Continue reading “Carer’s Journal – November 2025 – Part 1”

Carer’s Journal – October 2025 – Part 2

Now we’re getting somewhere. In the last couple of weeks, there have been some huge leaps forward in my mother’s situation, giving us a welcome sense of relief and optimism after such a long, hard summer. So in this latest instalment of my carer journal posts, I’m happy to share some very positive developments that, fingers crossed, bode well for the remainder of the year.

Continue reading “Carer’s Journal – October 2025 – Part 2”

Carer’s Journal – October 2025 – Part 1

Welcome to the next part of my carers journal, in what is set to be an important transitional month for us, as my mother is hopefully coming out of her cast in the second half of October. We’ve also had some very significant news this month that will greatly enhance her ability to get out and about again, and we’re still looking into her long-term care options as well. So there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel if everything works out. Here’s what’s been happening during the last few weeks.

Continue reading “Carer’s Journal – October 2025 – Part 1”

September 2025 Favourites

Welcome to my latest monthly roundup, I hope you’re doing well.

In terms of my caring responsibilities towards my mother, who is still recovering from her broken wrist, I’ve continued posting separate journal updates about everything that’s been going on, split into Part 1 and Part 2 for this month. So do read those posts if you want to be kept informed about that side of my life. Suffice to say that while we are still finding things difficult in some ways, she is continuing to get various forms of help, and we are now starting to consider the support required for her longer term care needs. Plus we’ve already had a very positive development at the start of October, perhaps the most significant to date, that has the potential to make a huge difference long-term. I’ll tell you about that in my October journal posts in the weeks ahead, and it’s going to be an important transitional month if all goes to plan.

Apart from all that though, I have kept myself entertained in various ways as well, with music, TV shows and an audiobook. So here are the main things I’ve been enjoying, and I hope you find them interesting to read about as always.

Continue reading “September 2025 Favourites”

Carer’s Journal – September 2025 – Part 2

Welcome to the next part of my caring journal, which I know has been getting quite a bit of attention recently, and thank you to all those who are taking the time to read it.

The second half of this month has continued to have positive developments overall, with thoughts turning to long term home care for Mum, as well as ongoing help with things like her sleep and mobility. But there have still been difficult moments as well, with Mum having occasional restless nights, sometimes due to sleep-induced confusion as to who I am or where she is, along with moments of general anxiety or panic, as has become the norm in recent months.

Generally though we’re doing ok, as we can see light at the end of the tunnel in terms of Mum’s wrist cast coming off later in October, and we’re looking forward to arranging proper care for her.

So here’s what’s been going on over the last couple of weeks, which I hope you find interesting.

Continue reading “Carer’s Journal – September 2025 – Part 2”

Carer’s Journal – September 2025 – Part 1

Here’s the latest update on how my mother and I are doing, as part of my series of journal posts about being a carer. She’s still recovering from her broken wrist, having sleepless nights, and experiencing moments of anxiety and panic. But she’s also regaining some confidence and mobility, which has been great to see, and things are moving forward in terms of the help and support she’s getting from healthcare professionals, which is reassuring.

Continue reading “Carer’s Journal – September 2025 – Part 1”

July & August 2025 Favourites

Hello again, I hope you’re doing well and have been enjoying the summer. If you’ve continued to follow my blog over the last couple of months then (a) thank you so much and (b) you’ll have seen there’s good reason for me not going out much lately, given the issues at home that I’ve now opened up about. Looking after my mother has become a much bigger drain on my time and energy than it used to be, but we are gradually getting help now.

Still, beyond all the disability and care-related stuff I’ve been sharing recently, I’ve also kept myself occupied and distracted with various forms of entertainment, some of which I’ve written separate blog posts on as well.

So here’s a quick roundup of things I’ve written about and entertainment I’ve been enjoying over the last couple of months. I’m still not making videos to go with these posts for the time being, but I hope you find these bits and pieces interesting.

Continue reading “July & August 2025 Favourites”