Carer support

It’s been arranged that I have the support of carers in my new home. This was due to the PDA society insisting that I get a care act assessment to support me in day to day life and I’m really grateful that they stressed this point.

The assessment was carried out by my community mental health team whilst I was still in hospital. That meant the carers were ready as soon as I moved in. They used the report put together by the occupational therapist at the hospital, but also came to talk to me at my request. That felt really important as a PDAer, to have a chance to give my own input. It helped me feel in control of the situation.

The carers come four times a week, and help with tasks such as cleaning, hoovering, laundry, food shopping and cooking. Basically, activities of daily living. I can also go for trips such as bowling with them, which I will definitely make use of in the future. I get on well with them, which helps a lot. I also plan to do some baking with them soon, should be super fun.

I definitely recommend this more than supported housing – there’s a lot more control and autonomy in having support in your own home. Supported housing comes with a lot of expectations of managing everything by yourself in my experience, and to someone else’s standards. In contrast, carers are actually willing to do tasks either with or for, depending on your capacity for the day.