Making the decision to start a living in care service was a difficult one for 73 year old retired solicitor Sandra Goldsmith and her husband Alan. The couple, who have lived in Richmond and Twickenham for most of their lives, realised they needed some extra support and help around the house during the difficult days of the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
“It wasn’t easy to admit as we have always been a very active couple, just a few years ago Al and I would take motorbike holidays to France. But when lockdown hit and I injured my knee, everything sort of went downhill from there.”
The couple had a long conversation with their two sons before they decided to go ahead with receiving full-time 24/7 live in care.
“We sat down with the boys and at first worked out a rota for them and their other halves t help where they could. We felt so bad putting them out though that eventually we cam around to the idea of having a professional come and live with us. I had read about living in care online and it just seemed like something that could work for us, especially as we have a lot of room at home!”
While Alan admits he wasn’t too keen on having a stranger living in his Richmond and Twickenham home, he now says that it has given him and Sandra aa newfound freedom and has given their sons a level of reassurance they didn’t have before.
“When Clarendon introduced us to Marianne (the live in carer) we were instantly far more comfortable with the whole idea of having care in the first place. We knew we didn’t want different carers coming day-in and day-out and preferred a living in carer but it really came down to finding the right person.”
Marianne has been with the couple now for six months and has settled into their Richmond and Twickenham home nicely. She says she loves working with the couple and gets particular satisfaction from seeing how they are now enjoying their retirement.
If you live in Richmond and Twickenham or the Surrey area and are thinking about live in care for you or your loved one, get in touch now and speak to a member of our experienced care team.
