Spending time together as a couple

My husband and I are both carers for our elderly mothers, which takes up a lot of our time, especially for my husband as his mother has dementia and needs care 24/7.

We decided to use our grant towards a trip to the village of Clovelly in Devon, to coincide with the annual Herring Festival. We went with two friends, one of whose mother had also had dementia, so it was good for my husband to talk to him and share experiences.

Whilst looking for photos to jog his mother’s memory, my husband found a photo of him aged five, posing with his cousin on a trip to Clovelly during a family holiday in Devon. He and his friend located the spot in the harbour where the photo was taken re-created it for a bit of light relief. Clovelly is like stepping back in time; no vehicles are allowed on the steep cobbled street through the village and the pace of life is slow, providing a welcome break from the time pressures of paperwork and caring duties.

The weekend away gave us an opportunity to spend time together as a couple and to focus on each other. I would also recommend spending time with friends, especially any who have been through what you are going through. Talking to our friends helped us to deal with any negative feelings of guilt or resentment, and it helped to share things with someone who had been through the same experience.

Thank you to Time 4 You for helping to make this short break away possible.