It was a great pleasure recently to meet Banstead residents Jill and John Constable and to see their local newspaper cuttings all about the support we gave them that started way back in 1991.
32 years ago, Jill was one of the first unpaid carers that we supported in the Banstead area as she cared firstly for her father, Cecil, who had a major stroke in 1989 and passed away in 1995, and then her mum, Peggy who developed speech, movement and walking difficulties and who sadly passed in 2001.
For 10 years, from 1991 to 2001 , a Crossroads Care Surrey Carer Support Worker visited the family once a week to take over the caring duties from Jill. Brenda Slocombe was the first Carer Support Worker to provide much needed respite breaks to Jill until Heather Brady took over that role. So close was their relationship that Heather remains a good friend of the family to this day.
When we asked Jill how the service Crossroads Care Surrey provided made her feel, she immediately replied ‘Fabulous!’. She went on to say that it gave her peace of mind, and she was able to relax knowing that her parents weren’t by themselves whilst she had some down time to herself from caring.
And how did Jill use her respite break time? By going to the hairdressers, shopping or meeting a friend for coffee. All simple things that we all take for granted.
We were there for Jill all those years ago, and we are still here, providing the same service, for those who care across Surrey today.
