A live-in carer supported nurse to reclaim her independence
Live-in care provider, Promedica24, has been commended by the sister of one of their Hampshire clients for providing what she describes as an exceptional carer who went beyond the call of duty.
Claire Huddart, a much-loved oncology nurse from Fordingbridge in the New Forest, sadly passed-away due to ill health last year. During the last two years of her life, Claire’s sister, Janie Melhuish said Claire enjoyed independence and quality care in the comfort of her own home thanks to her exceptional live-in carers, provided by Promedica24. Janie says that Claire lived a remarkably full life, attending boarding school and Swiss Finishing School before qualifying as a nurse. She worked in all fields of nursing including assignments in Saudi Arabia and the UK before specialising in oncology.
In 1975, Claire was praised by the then Prime Minister, Jim Callaghan, for being among the first emergency workers to attend the Moorgate tube station fire, spending 12 hours in 120 degrees heat crawling through darkness, tending to the injured, and identifying the dead. Claire was invited to a reception at Downing Street, but she declined saying she was just doing her job. Later, Claire became a ward sister at the Royal Surrey Hospital and gave the Queen and Prince Philip a tour of her ward when the royal couple opened St Luke’s oncology wing.
Janie then described how Claire moved to Carlisle to set up Macmillan at the Cumberland Infirmary. During this time, her health began deteriorating. She developed double primary breast cancer which unfortunately led to her having a double mastectomy and half a leg amputated, as well as becoming completely blind in one eye due to glaucoma and macular degeneration.
In 2016 Claire and her husband moved down from Carlisle to Fordingbridge to be closer to her sister, Janie and her husband, Jeremy. Very sadly both their husbands died shortly after. When Claire’s ill health resulted in months in hospital and a brief recuperation at Amesbury Abbey nursing home, Janie decided that she needed to come home and have a live-in carer. It was then that the sisters found Promedica24. Janie recalls:
“We were getting extraordinarily little support with domiciliary care, so we put our heads together and discussed alternative care options. We ended up finding a brilliant company, Promedica24, which supplies full-time live-in carers.”
Janie said that Claire hated the thought of living on her own, but thanks to Promedica24, she was able to get the one-to-one care she needed. Janie added:
“While life was physically limited as Claire was confined to her wheelchair, the care that Promedica24 provided gave her the freedom to live as normal a life as possible. This is thanks to the wonderful live-in carers who looked after Claire over her final years.
One of the carers, Joanna, went above and beyond her regular duties to ensure Claire felt happy and well looked-after. We all went for shopping trips and Claire and Joanna enjoyed days out at the seaside on the south coast. Claire was overjoyed to feel the sand between her toes again on the beach.
Although Claire was physically disabled, she remained very much independent and once she was dressed, she would be reading books, doing her admin, baking, or gardening. Her garden was her joy and though she could not do the work herself she would instruct Joanna from her wheelchair, advising her how to care for the flowers and other plants.”
It was thanks to Promedica24 that Claire was able to retain so much independence”.
Promedica24, Europe’s leading provider of live-in care services, deliver a person-centred approach to care, enabling people to live in the comfort of their own home with trained carers who provide round the clock companionship and support. Live-in carers like Joanna are matched with clients based on their needs, personalities, hobbies, and interests and often stay together for a prolonged period.
Janie said: “Joanna’s dedication and kindness went beyond the call of duty. Her presence and support gave Claire the freedom to live a normal and independent life.”
Joanna, Claire’s live-in carer, said: “Claire was a passionate and funny woman who had worked hard her whole life. It was a privilege to be able to care for her after she had done the same for so many people throughout her life.
I have many fond memories of my time with Claire. Despite needing support, she was able to live a relatively normal life, enjoying time in the garden and trips to the seaside whenever she wanted. Being able to give her that freedom is truly rewarding, and I’ll always look back affectionately on the memories we shared together.”
About Promedica24
Promedica24 is Europe’s leading provider of live-in care services with operations in Germany and England. By providing highly trained, live-in care workers, the company enables older and vulnerable people to receive person-centred, one-to-one support and companionship on a 24/7 basis in the comfort of their own homes. Although there is less public awareness around live-in care, it constitutes a much safer alternative to residential care during the time of a pandemic. Thanks to a high number of dedicated care workers, the company can provide affordable services at short notice, even in rural areas.
If you would like to find out more or access our services, please visit promedica24.co.uk to use our online chat service. You can also get in touch with our team on 0800 086 8686 or by sending an email to care@promedica24.co.uk. If you’d like to assess your care and support needs rapidly online, we have a tool available for you to do this.
We can provide live-in care services across the whole of England and we would also encourage you to visit our testimonials page to read what our clients and their families have said about our services.
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