AROMATHERAPY

Benefits experienced by the carer:

Respite/ short break from their often 24 hour role as carer Improved health for the client can lessen the pressure upon the carer Re-assurance that the client is receiving help and Comfort The opportunity to talk and discuss issues that are very important to them The opportunity to obtain information regarding services that can aid the home .It has now been confirmed by the Social Services that The Lavender Project will I receive further funding from the Carers Grant, meaning that it will continue to run until at least March 2004.Up until recently, I have been unable to perform treatments on the carers themselves due to the funding arrangements, which has proved incredibly frustrating to a number of the carers I have come in contact with.

lavender project

This is understandable, as it can be hard to draw the line between who is the carer and who is being cared for. It is also a huge burden to look after someone for 24 hours a day, regardless of your age or the extent of the other person`s difficulties. However, as a result of the demand for treatments from the carers themselves, I will now be able to give aromatherapy to a small percentage over the next 6-7months, which is incredibly good news.

I am just delighted to be part of this Project. It is my opinion that the elderly and their carers are a client group often overlooked, and there are so many ways in which complementary therapies can be of benefit—as The Lavender Project is proving. My sincerest thanks go out to the Social Services and Mind, who have made this work possible. I only hope that this will be the blueprint for other projects.

Ref: International Therapist-The Lavender Project