Covid vaccination for home carerd

[Gemma_1612]

Hello, I have never commented on the forum before and I don’t know what good if any it will do at the present time, as I presently feel immensely ill done do, regarding the NHS roll out of the vaccine. I know we have been returned to the JCVIs list into position 6, but as you’re probably aware we were in a much higher position - the social care category, in the JCVIs early recommendations, and in my view this is where we should have stayed.
My Uncle died from covid three weeks. He was in an isolation unit and caught it from a carer in the basic ppe provided in a care home and was dead within the same day of contracting it.
I chose to protect his sister in law , moving in with my mother from March 19 onwards, cutting out the vast majority of the care to which she was entitled from that date. As many of you I am now utterly burnt out, as she needs assistance at regular intervals during the night as well as day. I cannot get enough sleep, get no time for fresh air. Indeed somedays I don’t even get a wash until evening. The government emphasizes to look after yourself, so that are bodies are in the best state of immunity to fight off covid. But as a carer this year with no time either for any relaxation pursuits that has been a practical impossibility. My physical and emotional well- being have suffered enormously.
Yes I’ve so far saved her life, which I wouldn’t change, but the least the government could have done, was keep home carers like
myself in their appropriate place for vaccination.

Different Doctors are working at far different paces in terms of handing out invites for vaccination. Indeed my mother didn’t receive her first appointment until 23rd Dec. She then had to travel with help to a nearby town in hurrendous weather conditions, but if she had not done so I was told she would wait a lot lot lot longer for nurses to do home vaccination visits. Her second dose was cancelled. My personal Doctor hasn’t even received vaccines to be administered to local care homes, he just states we have to wait. But I forsee, position 6 in the queue is going to be a very long wait, and going on this state of utter exhaustion is going o be along time, unless the government invites personal carers to be invited by their local NHS hospital, to which large numbers could get to to be vaccinated sooner.

I was upset today, as I was in touch with an adult services Social worker. She is working from home and does not for the time being have any personal contact in her job. I have no choice but to have personal contact with carers coming in and I do desparately need to now at least bring back in night calls,. Home carers work together with carers coming in. We breath the same inside air, and I am in one even larger group when you consider all the other homes they visit on a daily basis, and their families. Covid can land on clothing, hair etc. etc. and I cannot by my very role distance myself from this. Yet my Social Worker has already been vaccinated in her current position of safety in terms of distancing.
I wish Carers UK would point out the different paces at which invites in locations are being offered and position 6 is not enough to ensure greater safety> Why should I be the only member of the care team left unvaccinated.
I am 56 and now in very poor health due to this year.
I hope you fight our corner for us. I have written to my local MP,
Kind Regards to all carers out their in the same predicament


edited by moderator to remove personal details

[Denis_1610]

Hello, Gemma. I sympathise with your predicament, and I am sorry to hear about the death of your uncle, but I am a little confused about the order of events.

. . . My Uncle died from covid three weeks. He was in an isolation unit and caught it from a carer in the basic ppe provided in a care home and was dead within the same day of contracting it.
I chose to protect his sister in law , moving in with my mother from March 19 onwards, cutting out the vast majority of the care to which she was entitled from that date. . .

What is the significance of the three weeks? Did your uncle die three weeks ago, or did he die before you moved in with your mother? Why was he in the isolation unit? Was it for COVID-19 or for something else? Was he in a care home at any stage?

What is your mother’s condition that requires much care?

It sounds as though you don’t trust the carers because your uncle died after contact with one. Yet lately you seem to have been accepting more and more carers to visit your mother. This is wise - you need to consider your own health.

Many things have got better. On March 19 last year, people were only beginning to take notice of COVID-19. Now, the fact that professional carers have been given priority for the vaccination means that your mother is at much less risk when carers visit. In the interests of your own health I would recommend that you avail to their services.

The reason why voluntary carers like yourself do not have high priority for a vaccine is because it is difficult for the NHS to identify those that are genuine. It would be a good idea to register yourself as a voluntary carer with your GP. I can’t make any guarantee, but it could help.

Things look bad at present but they will get better. Already rates of new infection are falling, and death rates will soon follow. When around a third of the population has been vaccinated, the “R” value, i.e. the rate at which the infection is passed on, will reduce considerably and we’ll see rates drop. There is light at the end of the tunnel!