Carmen’s story: “We knew we’d made the right decision.”

During the earlier stages of her dementia, Carmen had been living independently in Tauranga. With family nearby and a carer who came in during the day, she was managing well on her own. However, once her health began to deteriorate, Louise and Conrad decided that they wanted to care for her and moved her from Tauranga to their home in Whitford.

“When we moved Carmen to live with us, her dementia had progressed quite quickly and by that stage, caring for her required both my husband and me,” explains Louise. With guests from the UK expected for a two-week stay, the couple began researching respite care options in the area. “We wanted to take our friends out for day trips, which wasn’t possible while caring for Carmen,” Louise adds. “At the same time, we needed to be sure that she was in good hands and would still receive excellent care during that time.”

“When we started looking at respite care, we discovered that HBH accepted advance bookings in advance, so that was a great benefit,” she recalls. “Then, when we talked to Jenny at HBH, she was super helpful and did all she could to make sure we could book the dates to coincide with our friends’ trip. Jenny (HBH’s social worker) was amazing, keeping us well informed during the initial stages of planning.”

While HBH may not be as flashy as some other local providers of respite care, Louise and Conrad prioritised the level of care over appearances. “Our decision was about the people and whether we felt they would take care of Carmen as we wanted her to be looked after. We weren’t disappointed.”

“I could tell the staff genuinely cared”

Because they stayed close to home while their friends visited, Louise and Conrad could drop in and see Carmen at any time. “Popping in unannounced is a great test of how things are going,” Louise says. “Each visit confirmed the high level of care we were hoping for. It was clear the staff genuinely cared for Carmen, which gave us great peace of mind.”

What’s more, Louise says that if the staff weren’t sure of anything when Carmen first arrived, they would call her. They also kept in touch if they had any concerns, which the couple really appreciated.

She highly recommends HBH for respite care and, on reflection, says they discovered the importance of having a break. “When you’re looking after all of a person’s needs, you definitely need a break from time to time. It’s essential to top up your emotional, physical and mental cup so you’re ready to carry on.”

Sadly, Carmen has since passed away. “We knew we wouldn’t be looking after Carmen for very long due to her illness,” says Louise. “However, having a short break during the eleven months we did care for her was a reminder of how important it is to look after yourselves, in order to look after someone else.”