Janet Elder - A Life in Lockdown

Janet is the wife and carer of Iain, a regular guest at Leuchie. We asked her to write a few words about how the past months have been for them.

What has Life in Lockdown meant for us?

To begin with we were very unsettled as we were unable to acquire PPE and like everyone were toiling with getting shopping and prescriptions. For us, our saving grace has been our friends, they took over shopping and checked in to make sure we had everything we needed. Eventually (only 3 weeks ago) we were able to get PPE from the Scottish Government hub which is a relief.

We are managing this by taking one day at a time, one hour at a time. Iain has taken over a piece of front garden and has planted nasturtiums and marigolds which has given him a new hobby and keeps him out of bother. I have the back garden to maintain and spend as much time as I can there and in my wee shed when my health allows. Suffering from severe illness as well as caring for Iain is a daily battle for me and the realisation that we don’t have Leuchie to look forward to is quite crippling. Like all carers I am finding the lack of respite very difficult and it does affect your mental health.

I am very lucky to have great friends as I say who are still managing to check on us even though they all have their own lives to get on with. Thank goodness for them, they are everything, giving support in all ways. Some of these friends have fundraised for Leuchie already this year with the 2.6 mile challenge raising over £800. We just cannot thank them enough.

One thing that has helped was the lovely weather we all had for a bit and seen Iain in the garden reading which is a new hobby for him, he was never a big reader but has really enjoyed it which is a fabulous thing (gets you away from the TV for a bit). Everything seems and feels much better if the sun is out and hopefully we will all see a good bit more of it this year.

So as I say we are riding it out just like all of you and praying for the day that Leuchie House is open for it’s guests once more. We really do appreciate just how much it means to our mental and psychical health. I wish you all well and hope to see you all again very soon.

Janet