Battling mum appears on BBC's Newsnight
Julie Gilbert • Published 28 Sep 2011 09:00
Share this
A Clydebank mum voiced the feeling of thousands of carers across Scotland, during an appearance on a flagship BBC programme last week.
Clare Lally, 30, from Duntocher appeared on Newsnight as part of a feature on "Who Cares for the Carers?"
She and her partner Derek provide 24-hour care for their four-year-old daughter Katie who suffers from life limiting quadraplegic cerebral palsy and bulbar palsy.
Clare poignantly told the programme: "I'm the carer, I'm the nurse, I'm her doctor, I'm her physio, I'm everything else except Clare - Clare got lost."
She has been fighting for years for parents in her position to get more help.
Earlier this year she had to give up her home and move to a council house, because she was not entitled to have adaptions done for Katie on her bought house.
Clare feels this type of thing should not happen. She has linked in with parents in similar positions and has taken their fight to politicians in the Scottish Parliament.
The Newsnight programme gave a flavour of what Clare has to do and showed her hooking Katie up to her feeding machine.
The machine attaches to Katie's stomach, as she is unable to swallow or eat normally.
It also showed Derek bumping Katie's wheelchair down the large number of steps outside their home - something which Clare is unable to do without his help.
It also raised the fact that now Katie is at nursery, Clare has lost three hours of home help provision she was getting from West Dunbartonshire Council.
Clare said: "I don't know what's worse, the fact I have had my three hours taken off me or the fact I have spent four years worrying about the day it was going to happen."
She added that carers need more funding.
Clare said: "We're fed up being recognised and patted on the back. We want more than that. We want them to put their money where their mouth is."
Following the programme, Clare told the Clydebank Post that she hoped it had been viewed with those responsible for providing help and funding to her and other carers. She added: "I hope they were watching and saw what we have to do."
This article appeared in Clydebank Post 28 Sep 11
Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.
