Driven to breaking point: The

THE 2021 Census revealed that five million children and adults carry out some form of unpaid care work in England and Wales Here is Lynda Yu and Michal Sramek’s story

AROAD accident in 2004 left Lynda with a broken neck and paralysed in her upper and lower body

She is fully dependent on the care she receives 24/7 from her partner Michal

Such are her complex care needs Lynda would end up in A&E without it

When she couldn’t access the care she needed, Michal gave up his job in the hotel industry to become her full-time carer

But he has not had a day off for seven years and, understandably, the stress has become intolerable

It takes him around three to four hours just to get Lynda ready for the day, which includes carrying her from bed to shower chair and undertaking her personal needs

Michal said: “Lynda can’t cough, vomit or blow her nose on her own, so she is extremely fragile and I can’t leave her alone

“Paralysed people who have support from society can achieve

“But for people like Lynda, who is a C5 complete tetraplegic, they are fully dependent on their carer to attend all their daily needs

“The quality of care out there is sometimes so poor it’s actually very dangerous Some of the care provision agencies are very bad, but the clients are too scared to complain

“It’s a proper nursing job requiring skill, but they can send just about anyone to live with you So, here I am ”

Lynda says: “Michal can no longer cope He is going to have a breakdown if I don’t do something, so I have looked at care outside

“My mum is sick, and I don’t have extended family close by, but he can’t manage anymore, mentally

“I can’t go without care for one day If my catheter bag isn’t emptied, I suffer from something called autonomic dysreflexia which could be fatal ”

Lynda is struggling to find anyone who can meet her care requirements and has even considered taking her own life because of it

“I need qualified carers or life isn’t worth living I know I should stay alive and fight it but how can you fight it if you don’t have anything to fight with?”

Every care agency she has contacted has told Lynda a similar story: that they’re short on carers and cannot take on any new assignments, provide respite cover or offer regular care They say it’s because they

can’t recruit enough carers

For Lynda the stress of finding appropriate care has become overwhelming: “It keeps me awake at night and I have to rely on sleeping pills which I have been on for three years

“How am I supposed to live this life when I can’t afford to get the care I need?

People don’t realise how hard it is to access decent care and the danger if you don’t receive any help ”

The Spinal Injuries Association supports many like Lynda in their battle to access the care they need

Nik Hartley, the charity’s CEO, said:

“Spinal cord injured people have expressed particular concern around the turnover of carers and the quality of the care provided with the constant fear of being left without life-sustaining care leaving many desperate

“SCI people know better than anyone the urgency of the situation, with many depending on carers to stay alive

“Persistent underfunding of the care sector underlies almost all of the workforce problems in social care and that higher pay is a prerequisite to attract and retain social care workers ” n Due to the stress Lynda and Michal separated temporarily but are now trying again to make things work in the hope that Lynda can find additional support to help her partner cope