Carer’s Right’s Day – meet Keith who cares for his wife Sandra

20 Nov 25

Every day, 12,000 people become unpaid carers for a partner, family member or friend. Caring responsibilities can really impact people’s lives and as a Trust we are committed to supporting carers to improve their own health and wellbeing.

Person wearing a maroon shirt seated indoors with framed certificates and artwork on a white wall behind them. A window is visible to the right.

Thursday 20 November is Carers Rights Day and raises awareness of the rights that unpaid carers are entitled to and helping them get the support they need.

Keith is a carer for his wife Sandra. We spoke to Keith who has been involved in the care of his wife Sandra since she was diagnosed with early onset dementia in 2019. Keith and Sandra are supported by HPFT.

Keith said: “We thought dementia would happen eventually because it runs in Sandra’s family. We committed to keeping her home for as long as possible but eventually it became too much for us to manage on our own.”

After some serious incidents at home and Crisis Team intervention, Sandra was admitted to Logandene, HPFT’s Specialist Dementia Assessment and Treatment Unit, where she stayed for seven months. She was then moved to another HPFT unit, Lambourn Grove, in April 2024.

“We have good and bad days. On the good days she will have a lot of her faculties, and she can communicate. On these days she loves helping the support workers and OT’s and can engage with people to a point.”

Keith and his family cannot speak highly enough of the care that Sandra receives.

“I regularly witness the care they give on a personal level which is quite frankly outstanding. They treat her like a family member and you can see that everyone genuinely cares. It really is beyond what I or anyone would expect. As a family we also feel that we are involved in her care with lots of communication and are reassured that she is in the best place.”

It is hoped that eventually Sandra will move into a residential home and the family are working towards this with the staff who care for her with regular reviews to assess when this might be possible.

Keith admits that his priority is looking after his wife and family. He says that his wife would do the same for him and she deserves nothing less in this respect. He does still make time for a round or two of golf and may consider counselling in the future but for now, says that his strong and supportive family unit is sufficient.

To mark Carers Rights Day, please click here for further information and details on events you can attend.

Related Pages

Carer’s Right’s Day – meet Keith who cares for his wife Sandra