Eric was a carer for his wife. It wasn’t until after his wife passed away his family realised that he had dementia – his wife used to remind him to do daily tasks.
After losing her mum Ruth would visit her dad, Eric, every day. He had lost connections with friends whilst caring for his wife and was lonely. Ruth works shifts and was struggling to visit her father every day, she ended up with no time for herself and was unable to rest between shifts. Ruth quickly found herself being Eric’s sole carer as she has no siblings and the rest of her family had work commitments. This lead Ruth to have a breakdown. She explained: “I felt low, anxious and also had sleep deprivation.”
Ruth’s father Eric now attends Southampton Living Well Oak Lodge three times a week. Our Living Well Hub provides a safe place for people who are frail, elderly or living with dementia to come during the day and take part in everything from engaging reminiscence projects to exciting day outings. By attending Oak Lodge Ruth explains “it has given him his life back, he now has a purpose to get up.” For Eric day opportunities has provided social interaction with others and he has made some very close friends, especially in Joan. He has particularly enjoyed the day trip to Lee-on-Solent which he described in detail to Ruth.
Ruth also feels that Southampton Living Well has helped her gain much needed respite from her care duties and has allowed her to recover.
Ruth said “For me I also have my life back. Knowing that my dad is being looked after at Oak Lodge means I don’t need to worry about him anymore. The staff make it, they care about each person and also their family, Oak Lodge is an excellent service.”
To find our more about our Southampton Living Well service visit our website here.