WELLBEING WEDNESDAY WITH TRAFFORD CARERS CENTRE – A TRUE LIFELINE
Posted: 24.6.22
There are an estimated 24,000 people in Trafford supporting someone living with an illness or disability or a mental health need and Trafford Carers Centre has been providing local carer support for over 20 years.
Carole Diggle, a member of the centre, which has supported her through her time as a carer and to help her deal with the loss of her husband, John, tells us about her experience of using the Wellbeing Wednesday sessions that are offered on Zoom and how it has supported her through the pandemic and beyond.
What a lifesaver during the Covid-19 Pandemic the Wellbeing Wednesday sessions have been for me. I would have been in a far worse state than I am now without this wonderful service.
The sessions were the brainchild of the nurse at Trafford Carers Centre. The sessions are held over Zoom on Wednesday mornings from 10am to 11am and we have a general chat between each other guided by Rebecca. Rebecca also gives us little talks on the 5 Ways to Wellbeing and other helpful medical tips and tricks. The group has supported each other in other ways over the last twelve months too.
Early on in the sessions one of the ladies needed some books to read, as she could not get out of her house. One of the other ladies had a few books so agreed to get them across to her. In the end this was facilitated by a third lady collecting the books and delivering them to the lady in desperate need of them. On another occasion one of the ladies had a heated blanket that she was not using. One of the ladies in the group said she could use it for her husband who gets really cold and turns up the heating to very high. The two ladies met up for a coffee in Altrincham and swapped the blanket over. Both ladies were well pleased and so was the other ladies husband.
All the members of the group are carers or passed carers. I was a carer for my husband John who passed away in August 2019 after a long time being unwell with several different illnesses all vying against one another. He was on a lot of medications and had a lot of hospital visits every week.
I cared for him full time from 2008 to when he was admitted to hospital in June 2019. He did not come home and died in the hospital. At first I did not believe I was a carer and thought I was just doing what a loyal wife does for her husband. When I signed up to Trafford Carers Centre though I realised that the work I was doing for my husband was well beyond wifely duties.
The centre staff are a wonderful group of people. The case workers are very caring and helpful and make life a lot easier for the carers. Without them carers would not survive I am sure. Nothing is too great for the case workers to resolve. Trafford Carers Centre and the Wellbeing Wednesday sessions are a true lifeline to the outside world.
Over the last twelve months the group has met up once at a church in Urmston (between Covid-19 lockdowns). There were only a few of us but we had a good laugh with each other and enjoyed coffee or tea and plenty of homemade cakes. We also met up for lunch at a restaurant in Altrincham to celebrate the 12-month anniversary. We have an active What’s App group as well where we can support each other as and when needed and lift up each other’s spirits when we feel down.
The group has grown over the last twelve months with new people attending. There are quite a few members that have lost their partners now so we all help each other with the bereavement.
As I had been bereaved in 2019 I recognised one of the ladies going through the same cycle of events I had been through when my husband was ill and in hospital. Following the passing of the lady’s partner I offered to be a listening ear to her and told her she could phone me whenever she need a shoulder to cry on. This has happened with a few others in the group since as well.
All in all without the Wellbeing Wednesday Zoom sessions all the members of the group would be lost, isolated and alone. It is remarkable that such a simple medium on the internet brings everyone together in their various homes and we can chat openly to one another with support and general kindness. It is a well-recommended group and open to new members in need all the time.
For more information about Trafford Carers Centre please visit their website: www.traffordcarerscentre.org.uk/about
Alternatively you can call their helpline (0161 848 2400, option 1) from Monday-Thursday: 9:00am- 8:00pm.
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