Share your home as a Shared Lives Carer

If you can open your heart and share your home to an adult in need, a rewarding career as a Shared Lives Carer could be for you - it’s a bit like fostering, but for adults.

Social enterprise PossAbilities CIC, based in Heywood, needs people of all ages, genders and ethnicities that can offer placements – from one night to several weeks, as well long term support which can be for a year and longer.

The Shared Lives service can be used as day support, as home from hospital care and as a stepping stone for someone to get their own tenancy. Individuals supported in Shared Lives arrangements may have learning or physical disabilities, they may be older people who are frail or living with dementia or mental health problems. Carers are matched with people based on their compatibility, and things they have in common.

As a Shared Live Carer, your role would be to assist someone to live as independently as possible, to improve their self-esteem and confidence, and to develop their skills such as looking after themselves, domestic skills, preparing meals, budgeting and making friends.

You could help if:

• You have a spare room
• Able to share your home with an adult or young person
• Have the time to support an individual to live independently and be part of their local community

Clare Morphet, who runs the Shared Lives programme at PossAbilities CIC, said “We need to recruit about 40 new Shared Lives Carers in Rochdale and Trafford alone. It’s a big step to share your home, but we support you all the way. #

“One of the most common things that carers say is, ‘I wish I had done this years ago’. This is a career that really suits those with great people skills and high empathy, so people who may have worked in retail, airlines or travel, for example, would love this.”

Shared Lives Carer Andrea lived alone before Mark was placed with her. She said: “Mark brings a lot of happiness into my life, and you feel like you are doing something for a vulnerable person that makes their life better. We’ve been working to improve his literacy and he feels he has gained a lot more independence. He makes his own decisions with support from me and is really enjoying life. He always wanted to go to The Jeremy Kyle Show, so I got tickets and he loved it.”

She added: “We have our ups and downs like everybody, but he will sing to me, or I’ll sing to him and we pick each other up.”

Eileen became a Shared Lives carer later in life after her husband died. She now shares her life with Ronnie, who even at 50 years old, had never seen the sea. She said: “We took him to Blackpool. He was absolutely amazed when he saw the sea for the first time. He ran and put his feet in it. Because he could now write, he carved his name across the sand, which brought tears to my eyes.”

For those with great people skills and a willingness to share their home, this rewarding career can pay up to £590 per week; offer 28 days’ paid leave; full training and ongoing support are also provided.

If you think you could help, please contact the Shared Lives team at PossAbilities:

• Tel: 01706 692747
• Email: sharedlives@possabilities.org.uk