This Shared Lives Week, we’ve been asking our carers and people we support to talk about one simple thing, ‘What Shared Lives means to me…’
The answers have been brilliant.
Over the last week, we’ve heard from Shared Lives carers, people we support and colleagues from across the country. Each person has shared their own story and their own experience of Shared Lives.
Wendy in Wales said:
‘Shared Lives has given us an opportunity to do something we enjoy, helping to make a difference, helping to promote independence and basically sharing our lives with people we really care about.’
‘We really love being a family unit, going out, doing things, going to places together, and we’ve got all the support from PSS.’
‘We’re like one big family really.’
Gaynor in Manchester said:
‘PSS has brought us a lovely friendship with a new family member. We’ve opened our house to Emma and it’s been great. It also enables me to make a decent wage, whilst having time to look after my Mum and Dad, babysit grandchildren etc. All fitted around Emma of course.’
‘I enjoy going places with her, she’s been on numerous holidays with us. I love all the training that we get too.’
One of the people we support in Wales said:
‘I’ve been living with Sharon and Murray for two years, they’ve helped me with confidence with my cooking, I wasn’t able to cook before. I’m happy and glad to live with them, I help with the horses and go on days out, going on holiday.’
Amanda and Sunshine from our Wales service talk about what Shared Lives means to them...
What Shared Lives really means...
Shared Lives is built on relationships, this really stood out in the answers we received. Some people talked about friendship; some talked about independence, others talked about feeling safe, supported and part of a family.
It’s easy to think of Shared Lives as a type of support. But when you listen to the people involved, you quickly realise it’s much more than that. It’s about sharing everyday life, helping someone achieve their dreams, friendship and family and having people around you who really do care about you.
The people who took part in our campaign spoke about belonging, confidence and feeling connected. They reminded us that the little things often matter the most, a shared meal, a day out, learning a new skill or having someone to talk to at the end of the day.
For Shared Lives carers, it was clear that supporting someone isn’t just about what they do. It’s about the relationships they build and the lives they share.
For the people we support, Shared Lives means having the chance to live the life they want, with the right support around them.
Huge thank you to all of our carers and people we support!
We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to record a video and share their story with us. Your words have helped show what Shared Lives really looks like and what it means to people. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from this week, it’s that Shared Lives means something different to everyone.
At the heart of it, everyone just wants to feel connected, like they belong to something, a friendship, a family. Isn’t that all that most people want really.