It was scary when Mum got ill, I didn’t know what to do. Release helped me understand what was happening. I’m not scared anymore.
Adam is 13 years old and cares for his Mum who has chronic asthma. When Adam first came to Release he was outspoken, confident and friendly. However after some time, his Mum became very ill and was admitted to hospital after a severe attack.
As his Mum’s health began to deteriorate, Adam become withdrawn and reluctant to engage. Due to lack of support, Adam’s Mum became concerned that there would be no-one to look after the children if she needed to go back into hospital. Fearful that her children would be taken away from her, his Mum stopped treatment. It was at this point Adam began to struggle.
Through our intense family support service, we advised Adam’s Mum to continue treatment and we looked for agencies that could help with short and long-term care in case Mum was admitted to hospital again. We encouraged Adam to start attending our weekly respite sessions and offered him life coaching where we discussed coping strategies to help with Mum’s impending surgery.
Adam’s Mum is now signed up to CERS (Carers Emergency Response Service) who will care for the children on a short-term basis if his Mum is admitted into hospital. Adam regularly attends youth club and engages well with staff. He also still attends life coaching sessions for ongoing support in understanding Mum’s health issues.
Without intervention from the Release Project, Adam’s Mum would have refused treatment, which could have had fatal repercussions. Through life coaching, we were also able to prevent Adam reaching crisis point.
Help a Young Carer like Adam today. Just £10 could pay for one respite session for an isolated Young Carer. Donate now.
