Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Being a carer is a natural part of me now says Chloe, 16
Recent research undertaken by Carers Trust Scotland highlights the experiences and challenges that the pandemic has created for unpaid carers and, consequently, carer support workers and carer services.
Many unpaid carers said they were spending more time caring, with less opportunity to get a break.
The results highlight the need for continued support to young carers and the opportunity for meaningful respite and engagement opportunities throughout the year.
Here, Coatbridge teenager Chloe Mcgregor, who cares for her mum, explains how breaks from her caring responsibilities and invaluable peer support have had a positive impact on her mental health
Teenager Chloe Mcgregor thought she’d been relieved of the round-the-clock caring responsibilities she’d had throughout her childhood when her gran, who is living with dementia, moved into a care home.
But two weeks later, her mum woke with a headache. It worsened and, within days, her mum, Sharon, had gone into a body lock and could do no more than move her eyes.
Alarmed, Chloe’s dad, Neil, took her to University Hospital Monklands, where Sharon underwent a series of tests.
“She did not have any voice,” said Chloe, 16.
“They were testing for strokes, for conditions affecting brain function.
She spent nine months getting tests and seeing neurologists and specialists. They were testing for MS. She didn’t know what was wrong with her and she was always worrying. It had happened a couple of years back, when they’d been testing for mini strokes. But this time it came back again, and didn’t go away.”
Almost a year since she became ill, medics arrived at a diagnosis of functional neurological disorder – a complex condition whose symptoms can include loss of motor control, sensory and visual symptoms, speech problems, attacks or seizures, and cognitive problems. It is thought to occur in 14-22 cases per 100,000 people.
“One day she can be fine, and you would think there was nothing wrong with her,” said Chloe.
“Then the next day, she won’t be able to move or talk or anything. Sometimes, she’ll move her lips, but not say anything.”
She and her dad learned that when Sharon’s body freezes, they can unlock her by a sharp jerk of her arm.
Terrified of hurting her, that’s when her mum’s condition makes Chloe most scared.
St Ambrose High School pupil Chloe first became involved with North Lanarkshire Carers when she and her parents were looking after her gran, Mary, who’d lived with her all her life.
Chloe’s responsibilities included making tea for her gran and bathing her. By the time she was 15 and in the throes of her studies, her gran’s health deteriorated, and she would wander into Chloe’s bedroom in the middle of the night, disturbing her sleep.
When her 90-year-old grandmother moved into a care home in summer 2020, Chloe saw it as a chance to become more focused on her school work, and to see more of her friends.
“It was as if one thing stopped, and another thing started,” she said.
“I thought I was going to be able to study and have more of a social life. All I got, really, was a two-week break before my mum got ill.”
Each morning, Chloe goes in to check on her mum before leaving for school. She’ll call her several times throughout the school day, before coming home to find her sitting or lying on the couch, or sometimes resting in bed.
She will do light housework and every evening, she prepares and serves the family meal.
Although in the early days of her illness, Sharon would have outbursts over which she had no control, the most challenging of her symptoms are the frequent body locks she experiences.
“At one point, me and my dad had to grab her legs and make her walk,” said Chloe.
“There has never been a time that it has gone away – at best, three or four days.”
Chloe admits that she made herself sick with worry when her dad was admitted to hospital last month following complications resulting from an underlying health condition.
When she was just six years old her dad’s pancreas shut down and he was
in a coma for six months while he fought for his life.
The illness attacked his organs, and resulted in nerve damage and diabetes.
He wasn’t able to work again.
“I was so worried when he wasn’t there. I’m not confident about being on my own with my mum in case she locks,” said Chloe, whose aunt and cousin stepped in to help with day-to-day tasks until her dad returned home.
“My mum doesn’t like being on her own either. In the past full year she’s been on her own only three times. We are a really close wee family. Since she got ill, she’s become closer to our dog, Sparky, who is eight now and is going blind. On her bad days, he sticks close by her. It’s as if he knows.”
Chloe and her dad have agreed a routine, where she will go out on a Saturday, and he on a Sunday.
The schoolgirl, who has a part-time job in a local pizza restaurant, knows what makes her mum tick.
“We have good banter and I try to keep her spirits up,” she said.
“We know that when she’s having an episode, if you annoy her, she will snap out of it.”
Chloe was having monthly drop-in support from North Lanarkshire Young Carers in school while she was caring for her gran. When her mum became ill, the project reassessed her circumstances, taking into account her view and that of her parents of her caring responsibilities and how they impact her educationally, socially and emotionally.
The summary of her caring role, which was drawn up by North Lanarkshire Young Carers, can advise teachers and medical professionals how they can support her.
With the outbreak of Covid, Chloe became involved in the North
Lanarkshire Young Carers virtual group and didn’t miss a session.
Young persons practitioner Jason Lyttle and project team leader Carla
Mcguire recently took Chloe and four other young people to Aberdeen for a two-night stay, where they enjoyed everything from archery and karting to tubing and amusement arcades.
And next month, she will be heading to Alton Towers for another residential trip.
“Chloe was quite quiet when we met her at first, but she’s really come out of her shell,” said Carla.
“She is always up, ready and organised, and always up for a laugh. She takes full advantage of everything that is offered to her. She’s an absolute delight.”
Activities she has become involved in with some of the other 150 North Lanarkshire young carers who are registered with the project include everything from walking to the Wallace Monument and the Kiltwalk – to even trekking with alpacas.
“Peer support is one of the biggest things,” explained Chloe.
“It has really helped with my mental health. We all know what each other does and what is wrong with the person we care for. Once that has been brought up, it is gone. I tend not to talk about it, unless I am struggling.
“If you were to see us all together, you’d think we are just a group of teenagers. Being a young carer is just a natural part of me, now.”
For more information about Motherwell-based North Lanarkshire Young Carers, which is part of Action for Children, call 01698 258801 or visit actionforchildren.org.uk