June's Story: Crofton carer thanks local Hospice's support following husband's life-threatening medical conditions

June Lockwood’s life changed enormously when her husband Brian, had a series of life-threatening medical conditions.

Brian had two heart attacks, followed by three strokes that left him unable to speak and caused him to lose most of his memory.

June ultimately retired from her job to become Brian’s carer, but found the change difficult.

She said: “We stopped seeing people as much, which was hard as we’d always been very sociable.

“Brian lost his confidence, and we both found we were living very different lives from our friends. It made life lonely and we felt isolated. Brian was very dependent on me, so I didn’t get any chance to rest or have time to myself.”

In September 2023, Brian and June began to attend the Prince of Wales Hospice’s Wellbeing service.

The couple, who are from Crofton, joined the Craft Group, which had such a positive effect as it helped Brian with his memory and speech.

They also joined the gym group with the Hospice’s physiotherapist, which helped to increase Brian’s physical strength.

June felt the Hospice supported her and her ability to care for Brian.

They met new friends at the Wellbeing sessions, with June sharing her love for having a social life again.

June said: “People tend not to ask about how a carer is doing, they just ask about the person you care for.

“But here at the Hospice, they ask me every week how I’m getting on. Being around people and chatting with them really does make me feel like I’m a person again.”

June connected so well with everyone that she trained to become a Wellbeing Volunteer at the Hospice.

Steph Gillis, Director of Clinical Services at the Prince of Wales Hospice, said: “It is so important that care extends to families and friends of our patients as it can be a challenging time for everyone.

“Giving kindness and support to carers like June is one of our key priorities at the Hospice.”

To find out more about The Prince of Wales Hospice’s support for carers, families and the community, visit https://www.pwh.org.uk/our-care/for-carers-and-families.