Home care for sisters is a lifeline for parents
THE outside of the apartment block in Chorlton looks much like any other.
But inside the pristine home lives a family whose courageous dedication to one another is remarkable.
Sisters Zabiha and Maliha Yasin both have the life-limiting neurological disorder leukodystrophy and require round-the-clock care.
Unable to walk and with limited hand movement, their dedicated parents Asma and Amjid look after them full-time.
The couple spend just a few hours a month apart from their daughters – short breaks which are made possible by Francis House Children’s Hospice home care team.
Staff from the Didsbury-based charity care for the sisters three or four times a month, which gives everyone in the family the chance to snatch a few hours of independence.
Asma explained just how valuable the support is, saying: “Those hours between 3pm and 7pm are when Amjid and I have a break. Just being able to go out for a coffee or a meal and a change of scenery from being indoors.
“In the past, when I was ill and struggling in the evenings we had some extra shifts. Even a couple of hours makes a big difference to us.”
The family relies on Francis House for much-needed respite care as well as home care provided by a team of experienced registered nurses.
In the daytime Maliha, 21, attends a specialist education college. Zabiha, 24, left college two years ago and now spends most of her time at home.
“When the girls know the home care team are coming they tell Amjid and I to get ready – they want us to go out and have a good time”, says Asma.
“The girls need to be given their medicines and any personal care. They are really comfortable with the Francis House team that they have known for years.
“They look forward to it and do arts and crafts, and love having their nails done. If they need a feed, the team can do that. Zabiha takes a long time to eat and has a soft diet and is also tube-fed.”
Abi Reece, registered children’s nurse and home care team member said: “It’s great that we can come in and enable the parents to do things that other parents take for granted.
“Some families may never go out for weeks between visits to Francis House. You can’t leave some of our children and young people with just anybody because of their clinical needs.
“I love working at Francis House. It’s the best job, being able to give the holistic care we provide at the hospice and bring it into the family home.”
Francis House is seeking new members to join the care team. Relevant qualifications are required. See francishouse.org.uk for details.