These parents detail their struggle to provide a happy and healthy life to their son, who was injured with a significant spinal cord injury. Written simply, and with simple emotion, their love and devotion shines through.

Our first bit of information came from a surgeon who simply told us that our son’s neck was broken and his spinal cord had been severed. Though the surgical team would attempt a surgery, in which they’d remove bone fragments from our son’s neck and reconnect his spinal cord with pins and screws, there was very little hope that he would survive the surgery. The surgeon’s last words to us, before going in to attempt a miracle, were to inform us that very few people ever survive an injury this severe.

Carers Week 2008 is currently underway in Great Britain, and surveys of attendees are producing some concerning statistics. Almost one fifth of carers said they themselves “felt ill all the time.” Based on the results of this study, it seems that we need to find some way to alleviate the load, for the wellbeing of those who care so deeply and givingly for others.

Carers across the country - who tirelessly devote their time, effort and energy to looking after a loved one - could be putting their own health at risk by ignoring symptoms or not finding the time to visit their own GP for help and advice, a survey has found.

The results of the new UK wide survey of 2,000 carers - reveal that more than three-quarters of those questioned (77%) feel that their health is worse as a result of the strain of caring (for many, up to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).

The survey is launched today (9 June) as part of Carers Week 2008 and highlights the effect that caring - whether on a long or short term basis - can have on the emotional and physical wellbeing of carers.

Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the MS Society, said: “It is all too easy for carers and their needs to be invisible to wider society. Every day, carers looking after a relative or friend have to put their needs second and often find themselves juggling work commitments and ill-heath on top of their caring responsibility, to the detriment of their own wellbeing.

“It is right therefore for us to mark the contribution of the UK’s thousands of carers, to highlight the daily struggle they face and call for better support and services.”

Although the survey showed that a large majority of carers admit to feeling ill, anxious or exhausted, a staggering 95% of those questioned said they regularly cover up or disguise the fact that their health was suffering in order to continue with their caring responsibilities. Worryingly, one-fifth (19%) of these carers said they ignored feeling ill “all the time”.

Almost 1 in 4 (24%) of carers said they frequently felt unable to cope with their day-to-day duties due to the physical and emotional stresses of their caring role, and a further 64% said they were occasionally unable to cope.

Carers Week supporter, TV presenter and actor, Paul O’Grady (who has personal experience of caring), said: “I was surprised to learn that around 6 in 10 of us - from all walks of life - will become carers at some time in our lives.

“Wanting to look after our loved ones is human nature - but this sometimes comes at a price with many carers having to sacrifice their own health and well-being.

“Taking a break, a holiday or even time out to visit the doctor is just not an option. I have the utmost respect for carers and believe they deserve all the support and recognition as they can get - and more”.

Carers Week 2008 is jointly organised and supported by ten national charities: Carers UK, Counsel and Care, Crossroads Caring for Carers, Help the Hospices, Independent Age, Macmillan Cancer Support, MS Society, Neurological Alliance, The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and WRVS.

It’s a situation many caregivers dread: a personal emergency knocks you for a loop and not only do you have to deal with the ramifications to your own personal life, what about the ramifications to the lives of those you care for? The Multiple Sclerosis Society is looking toward a method of bridging that gap with on-call, 24 hour ‘carer coverage’. Medical News Today reports:

The MS Society is to launch a new initiative that aims to reassure carers of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) that their duties will still be carried out in an emergency.

The free Carers Emergency Card gives 24-hour access to temporary cover for an unexpected situation and leaves the carers safe in the knowledge that their relative or friend will be looked after.

Whether it be the car breaking down while out shopping or maybe a medical or family emergency, many carers of people with MS worry that there may be a time when they will not be available to continue caring.

Jo Ridley, Carers Lead for the MS Society, said: “The MS Society Carers Emergency Card will now give carers the peace of mind that the person they care for will still be looked after if something untoward happens.

“This is a practical solution and will provide comfort to both the carer, and the person being cared for.”

The Carers Emergency Card is being launched to coincide with Carers Week (9 to 15 June). It is free to register for the card and during registration the carer will be asked for the details of three trusted contacts to be called upon in an emergency.

When the number on the card is called, leading telecare provider Welbeing will phone the named contacts and arrange cover.

Jo added: “A Carers Emergency Card system exists in some parts of the country but there are still many areas where carers are left to fend for themselves.

“Carers who already use an emergency card say that it gives them valued reassurance. By introducing this card, the MS Society hopes to plug those gaps where no service exists.”

For how to register contact Welbeing on Freephone 0800 085 8344.

As many caregivers know, planning for long term care of a patient can be stressful, both mentally and financially. MassMutual has released a template that helps tame the task into something manageable and less overwhelming, to ensure that the needs of the caregiver and their charge are well met and planned for over the course of a lifetime.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., April 1, 2008 /PRNewswire/ — Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) today made available on its Web site a free template of a Letter of Intent (LOI) that families can use to begin developing or supplementing life care plans for family members with a disability or other special need.

The template, created with the input of MassMutual professionals with decades of combined experience in special needs planning, is a fillable
Word document that can be customized by parents and/or caregivers to reflect their specific situations. Parents and caregivers can visit http://www.massmutual.com/specialcare/resources to request the template, which is on a compact disc.

A Letter of Intent provides critical caregiving instructions to future guardians, trustees and advocates of the person with a disability in the
event of the death of a parent or caregiver. While not a legal document, the LOI can be an effective supplement to a will or trust because it
attempts to ensure that a family’s wishes will be fully understood.

“A Letter of Intent is a great way for families and caregivers to gather all relevant information in one place, make clear the family’s intentions, and communicate important insights about the unique personality, needs, likes and dislikes of the family member with special needs,” said Randy Cushing, CLU, ChFC, CLTC, and Special Care Planner, whose practice is associated with Commonwealth Financial Group of Boston, a MassMutual general agency.

“Because the template is an electronic document, it can be easily updated or conveniently sent to other family members, caregivers and
advisors,” added Cushing, who uses the Letter of Intent template with his clients who have special needs.

While important for all families with members having a disability, a Letter of Intent is particularly important in the case of children who are incapable of expressing their own needs and wants to caregivers and others, as is the case, for example, with many children with autism.

“The Letter of Intent can help ensure parental intentions and desires are clear to any and all caregivers — even in the event of a parent’s
sudden disability or premature death,” said Joanne Gruszkos, director of the SpecialCare(SM) program at MassMutual, a coordinated program that
provides access to information, specialists and financial products and services that can help improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and other special needs and their families. “Often, families understandably become so focused on day-to-day needs that they lose sight
of the larger life-care issues and the costs that loom ahead. A Letter of Intent can help focus the family on the future.”

Although not legally binding, a Letter of Intent offers guidance to the courts and trustees for interpreting care instructions and typically includes emergency contacts, medical history, preferred living arrangements, education or work arrangements, recreational preferences, behavioral challenges, and a summary of family and financial information.

The LOI is a good life planning document for parents/caregivers to share with their team of advisors who can use it as a guide in drawing up
plans, wills, trusts, and other documents. An advisory team may consist of an attorney, CPA and others, such as social workers and caregivers and a Special Care Planner or financial professional. A Special Care Planner has received advanced training in estate and tax planning concepts, special
needs trusts, government programs, and the emotional dynamics of working with people with disabilities and other special needs and their families.
The Special Care Planner certificate program is offered by The American College in Bryn Mawr, PA, exclusively for MassMutual financial professionals.