Share the Care and make a difference to local families in your community

Could you open your home to help other families in your local community?

Share the Care is an inspiring programme within the Northern Health and Social Care Trust which offers both permanent and short break placements for adults with a learning disability. The Trust is now seeking to expand its team of carers who have space within their family circle to support this hugely valuable service.

Explaining more, Adult Learning Disability Head of Service, Angela Reid, said: “We’ve been running Share the Care for over 20 years and in that time we have helped countless families and individuals.

“We are hugely grateful to all those who have supported it by providing a family-environment and home-from-home surroundings for our service users.

“The success of Share the Care is built on the generosity, compassion and kindness of our host families and if you want to be a part of this we would love to hear from you.

“We always have a greater number of people requiring placements than we can accommodate, so we’re appealing for more individuals and families to consider getting involved. If you could share your time and friendship with others, you will be making a huge difference to service users and their families.”

Patricia Quinn from Cushendall has been a Share the Care Carer for a number of years.

Get involved

Encouraging others to get involved, she said: “I would tell people who are thinking about doing it to jump in because you do get a lot out of it. You have that feeling that you are doing something to help other people. We enjoy the craic, we go for walks, we go for coffee, we paint nails, we do jigsaws, we do a variety of different things.

“I would describe Share the Care as a very good service for people who need that extra bit of help. For the people who are doing the service, and looking after the family member, it’s very well supported for them as well.”

Reflecting on her involvement, Kelly Campbell from Maghera, said: “I get a lot out of Share the Care, looking after Clare. We have a great bond together. We go out for walks, we go shopping, and I just feel as if I am doing something great for the community, taking the likes of Clare out for a wee break.”

Echoing these sentiments, Clare added: “I love coming on a short break to Kelly because it gets me out of the house and it gives me time to spend with her. I love us going shopping to Cookstown together, especially when I get a McDonalds.”

Experiences

Service user Mark Black from Ballymena says life would be boring without Share the Care: “We go out in the car, and we go to Templepatrick and round the garden centres, and sometimes we go shopping. We have great craic and I’m enjoying it. I like getting out on a Wednesday now because that shortens the week for me. If I hadn’t joined this it would have been boring.”

Ewelina Urbaniak- Brzuchalska from Coleraine has been providing short breaks through Share the Care for two years, after being introduced to the initiative by a colleague.

Speaking about her involvement, she said: “It is a joy for service users, it is a joy for families. We are giving them a break to enjoy going somewhere without that responsibility and we are enjoying it to.”

Impact

Eileen McLellan’s son Philip is a Share the Care service user from Coleraine. Explaining the difference the scheme has made to her and her family, she said: “Philip was always with us, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. When we were offered this it was such a lifeline. Phillip is treated as one of the family. At first we wondered how it was going to work out but it is really amazing, and my husband and I benefit very much from it.”

At this time, the Northern Trust is particularly looking for those who could become short break adult placement carers. This is a voluntary role but expenses are paid for time and travel.

Carers can help service users take part in an activity, go on a day out, or simply make them a part of your day-to-day routine, by taking them shopping, or spending time at home in the garden, watching a film, baking or cooking.

Alongside this, opportunities are also available for overnight short break providers. These can range from one night to several nights, with the service user staying in the carer’s home while Share the Care also extends to permanent adult placement carers, who provide longer-term care in their own home.

If you would like to find out more you can register your interest by ringing 028 7034 7871 between 9am – 2pm Monday – Friday or email ShareTheCare@northerntrust.hscni.net and a member of the team will come back to you.

14th June 2024