Paul moved to live with his Shared Lives carer, Julie, in February 2020, just prior to the covid pandemic lockdowns.

Paul had previously been quite independent and had enjoyed socialising and taking holidays with his former support carer. Within 6 weeks of him moving, a major health crisis significantly affected his mobility and hearing and he became dependent on Julie to meet all his needs.

Although supporting an individual with challenging health needs is not usually within the remit of a Shared Lives carer, during the covid lockdown, Julie rose to the challenge. With support from the Shared Lives team, she has supported Paul to regain his mobility and is proactively supporting him with his hearing loss.

One of Paul's wishes was to go on holiday abroad again. Due to Paul's mobility issues, Julie was nervous about this, however, she has good peer support with other Shared Lives carers. A group of carers and the individuals who live with them went to Spain together in 2023. This holiday with others increased Julie's confidence so much that she and Paul took another holiday to Spain in 2024.