Tag: Sleep

Carer’s Journal – May 2025

Having recently explained the complex situation regarding my mother’s declining physical and mental health, and the impact on my own wellbeing, I’m going to document how things are going as time goes on, to keep you up to date.

It seems easiest to do this in journal form, which I think will be more insightful anyway, as things keep changing so quickly that trying to do a summary roundup every so often would be rather difficult. I’m already keeping a personal diary anyway, so rather than writing something new, it’s much easier for me to just adapt my journal entries for public viewing, taking out details that are private, intimate or irrelevant – just like I did for my Devon journals from the early 2000s that I posted during lockdown, which proved to be surprisingly popular. It also gives me the flexibility to post whenever I need to, depending on how much there is going on.

To start with, therefore, I’m going to share more detail about events from earlier in the year, so you can get a sense of how things have progressed up to this point. This will help to add context to my previous trilogy of posts as well – so please do read those first if you haven’t already, to fully understand what I’m talking about here.

The months of January to April weren’t without their issues, as Mum did have a couple of falls in that time, which led to us having telecare installed. But it was in May that things really took a downward turn. So I’m just going to quickly summarise the key points from the first 4 months of the year, and then share my journal for May. In subsequent posts over the next few days, I’ll then take you through June, July and August so far.

So I hope you find it interesting, and it gives you a sense of how hard it can be as a carer for a loved one who is struggling and acting in unpredictable ways. As strange and difficult as it is to share such details sometimes, I think it’s important to be open to raise awareness and to let others know they’re not alone, as it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

Continue reading “Carer’s Journal – May 2025”

Caring For Mum – Part 1 – Physical Health

I’m an unpaid carer for my mother and lately we’ve been struggling to cope. We need help.

It sounds like I’m introducing myself at some kind of group therapy session. But then this series of posts is a form of therapy for me really, to open up about what’s been going on lately.

After all, being a carer does make you feel anonymous, as you’re leading a secret life behind closed doors, even from your own relatives and friends to some extent. And I haven’t felt the need to write about it here before, because my mother and I have had a healthy balance to our lives with no major issues.

But developments over the last few months have proven too overwhelming for us to deal with by ourselves, because Mum hasn’t adapted well to going blind for various reasons, plus she’s having falls quite regularly. So I’m having to do a lot more for her, and it upsets me to see her struggling so often. It’s been a shock to the system for both of us, because it’s a new, confusing, emotional and somewhat frightening journey that we’re being forced to embark on. We are now starting to reach out for support, which has given us reason to be hopeful. But there’s a lot of waiting involved.

So bear with me while I ramble my way through what’s been going on to bring you into the loop, because there is quite a lot. I’ve split this up into three posts that I’ll be posting over consecutive days, to focus on Mum’s physical and mental health issues in turn, followed by the impact on me as her carer and the support I’m trying to access. Then I’ll share regular updates as to how we’re getting on, alongside the other types of post I usually do.

Mum knows I’m putting this stuff online, as it’s nothing for us to be ashamed about, it’s good to raise awareness, and it might help us to find extra support. Indeed, I’m very open to any help or advice that people are able to offer as a result of reading all of this stuff, so feel free to comment here or contact me by email or social media if you wish.

But even if you can’t help or relate to what’s going on, I hope you find this interesting. If I can use this situation and my platform to help raise awareness of what it’s like being a carer, then that alone makes this worthwhile.

Continue reading “Caring For Mum – Part 1 – Physical Health”