Rachel
Rachel looks after Roger, who broke his neck in an accident. Although he is in a nursing home she feels that she need to be with him most of the time to make sure his needs are met. In particular she wants to keep an eye on his suprapubic catheter.
Rachel works hard as an unpaid carer. She looks after her husband, Roger, who broke his neck in an accident in India (see Roger’s Interview). Although Roger is in a nursing home Rachel feels that she must monitor how the official paid carers look after him. In particular she thinks that she should keep an eye on his suprapubic catheter to make sure it is draining correctly. Rachel feels responsible for Roger, but she is not recognised as her husband’s carer. One doctor told her that she had over-involved relative’s syndrome’.
Looking after Roger has not been easy. They both had to get a lawyer to fight the system to get continuing care. This means that Roger’s fees in the nursing home or elsewhere are all paid for by the government. Even so Rachel has financial problems, partly because she is not well enough to have a job, and partly because she wants to look after Roger. Rachel has been looking after Roger for the past five years, and she has not had a holiday. At times her health has suffered and she has become quite depressed. Taking Roger out is a major exercise. She says that she has to plan a trip out like a war campaign. Rachel thinks that Roger’s suprapubic catheter is better than a urethral catheter, but any sort of catheter has a negative effect on the intimate side of their lives.
As a carer Rachel says that she has become extremely cynical and that she doesn’t trust anyone, least of all the government.