I shared Ken’s story courtesy of the Medway Shared Lives scheme a few days ago. I see that Ken and household have also been visited by government Minister, Tracey Crouch MP, who wrote on her Facebook page on :
I met two incredibly inspiring local ladies today – Sarah and Vicky. What is so special about them is they are carers with Medway Shared Lives, a brilliant initiative that is operated by local authorities across the country which provides longterm, short term or emergency homes for vulnerable adults.
Sarah invited me to their home to tell me about Shared Lives and what they do, the value they bring (both in terms of to the individual emotionally but also to local authorities financially) and of course the challenges they face. It was comforting to hear that Medway Council – Service updates and information has recently demonstrated their commitment to the scheme with a welcome increase in carer rates after several years of none. I met Stella (53) and Ken (70) who both have a learning disability and who Sarah and Vicky have hosted now for several years. It is as if they are part of the family and you could tell instantly that both Stella and Ken are settled and very happy.
I think the scheme is a brilliant idea and I wanted to take this opportunity to promote it more widely. If you think you could host an adult who needs just that little bit extra support so they can live independently rather than go into a residential care home, then please do click on one of these links:
http://www.medway.gov.uk/…/car…/becomeasharedlivescarer.aspx
Escaping the invisible asylum 