Geraldine lives in Glasgow, Scotland with her husband, Desmond, and children, Katie, 20, Marcus, 18, and Shay, 17. Marcus has been diagnosed with autism and has high support needs.
Geraldine explains, “Marcus is non-verbal, so he finds it quite difficult to express his needs and wants. Life can be challenging for him. Marcus received the diagnoses before he started nursery which meant that he was able to attend specialist education throughout his life.
“In terms of Marcus’ wellbeing and emotional needs, it’s quite difficult for him to express himself, especially when he’s feeling unwell. I’m always mindful of the fact that he can’t be left on his own and lacks danger awareness.
“Marcus’ post-school life has been challenging for us as a family. We spend a lot of time on top of caring for Marcus to complete the necessary admin work that goes along with it. Such as finances and organising care. Katie and Shay are great siblings to Marcus, but it has been tough on them growing up.
“As parent carers, Desmond and I must support Marcus with his hygiene. Desmond takes Marcus to the shower every morning to encourage him to wash. I always help Marcus brush his teeth. He’s never independently done it before but the reason for that is because he’s scared of the dentist. So, I want to make sure that he never needs to go.”
Take a Break Scotland grants
Geraldine and Desmond have been supported with grants from Take a Break Scotland on a couple of occasions. Geraldine says, “We used our first grant towards some camping equipment. We purchased a blow-up tent so that it’s easy to erect. Marcus likes the outdoors, so we went camping for a break. On another occasion, Marcus stayed at home with family, and the rest of us had a break away at a music festival in Ireland using the tent. Marcus was happy to be home with his aunt and grandma and that meant myself, Desmond, Katie, and Shay could enjoy ourselves at the festival away from our caring responsibilities for a short while.
“Using the funds from our most recent grant, we went on a family trip down to Norfolk. I always wanted to try boating. So, we used the funds to stay at a hostel and hire a boat. We all had a turn at steering and sailing the boat for the first time ever! It was lovely to do as a family.”
