'It's overwhelming - how do I keep carrying on?'

An unpaid carer says looking after her severely disabled husband is "overwhelming", as she asks herself how she keeps carrying on.

Deb Rist from Devizes cares for her husband John, who has arthritis, heart failure and requires help with all aspects of his life, including personal care, mobility and taking his medication.

Rist is one of more than 60,000 unpaid carers in the Wiltshire area and balances her husband's care needs with working for Carers Together Wiltshire on a flexible contract.

She said that despite having regular in-home support, being a carer had resulted in her becoming socially isolated and embarrassed at the state of her house and garden.

"You just take each day as it comes. It's overwhelming, it's frustrating," she said.

"You can't make plans, because there's a high chance you have to cancel them at the last minute if John is unwell, and he becomes ill very quickly because he's susceptible to sepsis - it's very isolating.

"You ask yourself - 'Gosh, how do I do this? How do I keep carrying on?'"

Rist said that the emotional impact of caring was made more difficult by the guilt she felt over being unable to find time to do normal household tasks.

"It's the basics, the housework, the cleaning of the bathroom, the garden - there's an impact as a working carer," she said.

"At the moment, I'm embarrassed with the garden and the house, because when I finish work, we tend to do a lot of John's personal care in the evenings, and I just haven't got time in the mornings."

The support available for unpaid carers was reduced in March when charity Carer Support Wiltshire announced it was shutting down due to "significant funding challenges".

Kirsten Kerr, service delivery manager for Carers Together Wiltshire, said that it was important carers asked for help.

"Carers suffer with emotional, mental health, and physical strains, and that's why it's important to help them cope and build resilience in that role," she said.

"We're really keen to get the message out to people that the earlier you get support, the longer you're probably able to manage in that role."

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