It’s a long time since I was a member but I’ve decided to rejoin after a long absence.
I care for my wife who uses a wheelchair, my eldest son who has mental health issues, and my son who has autism - although he has full support and lives separately from us, both my wife and I still have caring responsibilities there. And then there’s mum, who’s in a care home gradually losing to dementia.
Up until about 9 months ago, I also used to work at my local Carers Centre, but eventually age and exhaustion catch up with all of us and I had to take early retirement at the end of March last year.
The covid situation meant that I ended up retiring later than planned, and there’s been a lot to adjust to - a reduced income being among them - but some of the pressure is off and I was actually able to get out and about with the camera a couple of times last year. Hopefully later on I’ll work out how to share them online!