Sally's story

Sally lives in the charming village of Mickleham, nestled in the Surrey Hills. She’s been married to her husband Chris for 15 years, and is mum to two boys, James 13, and Luke 11. Sally is an insurance broker in London, and commutes into the city most weekdays, while Chris occasionally travels for his job as a IT sales director.
With Chris and Sally’s busy working lives, family time is precious. Since the boys were little, weekends were spent outside or enjoying a roast dinner with Sally’s parents – Albert and Jayne who live in Westhumble – the next village over.
Unfortunately, Sally’s mum passed away last year, leaving her dad, Albert, alone in the family home.
Albert was adamant that he didn’t want to downsize after Jayne passed. They had shared the home for over 60 years, it’s where they brought up their children and made a lifetime of precious memories. Sally didn’t want to force her dad to leave the home he loved either, but as time went on she found he was struggling with the upkeep. He wasn’t looking after himself, or getting out and about in the village much.
Sally was finding it hard to support Albert in the way she wanted too. Her brother, Liam, lives in Belgium and couldn’t offer much day-to-day support to Albert.
Albert was still sharp and loved to put the world to rights over a cup of tea, she hated the idea of him not being able to do that.
Sally tried to pop in whenever she could – mostly after work and at the weekends, but was at her wits end balancing Alberts care with bringing up her boys and running her own home.
Sally spoke to her dad who at first, brushed her worries off. After a few weeks of back and forth, he finally admitted daily life had become overwhelming. He’d fallen when trying to reach something in the garage and badly bruised his arm – knocking his confidence, and he was feeling lonely too. While he had his dog Webster, he missed having someone to talk to during the week.
Sally spoke to her brother about their dad’s situation and they both agreed that formal care was the right solution for all of them. They agreed live-in care would be best as they didn’t like the idea of lots of different carers popping in and out of Albert’s home – being able to build a proper bond was really important. Plus, Albert was still sharp and loved to put the world to rights over a cup of tea, she hated the idea of him not being able to do that, so they’d need a carer who could keep up with him.
They worked as a family to review carers Albert had been matched with in their online MyElder account – Liam doing so remotely from Belgium. They carefully reviewed each carer’s profile, skills and reviews and found Louise, who they felt would be a brilliant match.
Albert and Sally were able to chat with Louise prior to her starting and they quickly built up a rapport. Sally felt confident that Albert would be in good hands and had peace of mind that he was now not on his own.
Louise set about helping out around the home and learnt how to cook Albert’s favourite meals. Over time, Sally was relieved to see her dad gain his confidence back, making plans to see friends and get out and about with Webster.
Sally felt that she had time to spend with her family, time for herself, but most importantly time to be a daughter to Albert again.
Albert's story
A hard working man but a true rebel at heart – Albert built a life he loved with his wife Jayne. Sadly with Jayne gone, he’s been finding things hard, but found admitting how he was feeling to his daughter Sally even harder.
Louise's story
Louise loves to make a difference, but wanted a job that gave her more time to get to know the people she cared for.