Carer? Not anymore, guv … 
7
About five years ago, me and N decided to get a place and move in together. At the time, I was living with my parents and she had her own flat. She sold her flat and we moved into a warden controlled, disabled adapted bungalow in Kidderminster and lived as friends, crip and carer.
Up until today, N was referred to as my carer as that’s what she does - she quit her job to stay at home with me after I’d had a couple of falls during the day and now the only income she gets is the paltry Carer’s Allowance from the British government. Only today she was watching This Morning with Philip and Fern and one of their guests - Alison Lapper, whose naked body has just been immortalised in marble in Trafalgar Square - said that she doesn’t call carers “carers”, she calls them “personal assistants”. And when N mentioned this I thought “Yeah, that’s cool.”
So there you have it: I’ve got my own personal assistant … makes me feel all important!
I think personal assistant is a better word than carer, it makes it sound like they are there to help you instead of a carer looking after you 24 hours of the day and doing everything for you.
I love the statue of Alison Lapper I think it will challenge and sort out people’s misconceptions of disability like they can have all the time!! Yuk!
- Katie Fraser
Oooh, your own personal assistant, that’s even better than Lady Bracknell having her own secretary :P
Hope things with N go smoothly. Sometimes a bit of breather is good or a trasition from couple to friendship. Best of luck. - gimpy mumpy
I love the idea of having a PA. I have only ever referred to my partner as a carer on the forms, although in truth that is a big part of his life. Usually I just refer to him as my sidekick. ;-)
Good luck to you and N. Hope it all works out for the best, whichever direction things go in. - The Goldfish
Also, you can now use fashionable abbreviations to your peers.
“Leave it with my P.A.”
- gamesfreak (Daniel Harper)
I like my PA but getting hold of a good one is tricky and last time I took out an ad in a paper I got one guy that used to work in a chicken factory and quit due to emotional distress, need less to say I did’nt call back.
I am also considering dressing my PA like a body guard, how cool would that look. - Bert
Hi Bert, It wasn’t that geeky Robert who sang on X Factor last time was it, he worked in a chicken factory! - Katie Fraser
I don’t think so katie, I did not see him which may be a good thing. - Bert
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