Chapter Two (Part Two)

....

I was on a downward spiral, losing myself. I felt ashamed that I was being conned by a bitter old man and his puppets.

Within a few weeks I was diagnosed with Depression. I kept being told by Sue that I was over emotional and I should just l let Victor carry on 'helping' me. But he wasn't. I wasn't a person anymore, I was disabled. That was it.

One afternoon, I had a panic attack after not feeling very well. The ambulance was called as a precaution. I was fine just told to sleep it off. Sophie was on shift. 

A carer from the other clients team saw the ambulance and rang  Sue and Victor (who were in Newcastle) to tell them about the ambulance without my consent. Within minutes I received a phone call from Sue saying how Sophie had not informed them quick enough despite the fact that they were powerless to do anything as they were at the other end of the country.

To cut a long story short, Sophie was sacked. I was devastated- the one person that understood me was gone. Victor was never a fan of Sophie, he did like how we were close. He was winning. He controlled the people around me.

Out of the blue my social worker (Dan*) rang and said he wanted to meet with me. I felt relived. A way out.        

I met with my social worker and told him EVERYTHING, the pressure, controlling nature and even financial issues. 

It turned out that Victor had been sending Dan reports that I hadn't paid invoices and spent the Direct Payment on clothes, which wasn't true at all. In actual fact Victor had emptied £10,000 out of my account and changed invoices.

He was exposed. at last. The police were now involved in my case but that wasn't the end of the storm... 

A quick note: THANK YOU, Writing this Blog is helping me cope with my experience, BIG THANK YOU to everyone who reads this, you're helping me find the voice in me again,    

Bea xx

Chapter two (Part one)

"Everything that looks like a Rose has a Thorn"

Well I guess this is where I should tell my story. Well, like I said before I have carers to support me in my daily life. It was about this time last year that I decided to change my care provider as the current care package wasn't fitting around my life. Then there was a solution.

I was approached by a care company where I was studying at University in Portsmouth. (for safety purposes I can not name the provider, so for the purpose of the blog I will name them CARE.) 

When CARE approached me they were already providing support for a student who lived in the halls where I was living. The support worker Mark* explained what services CARE provided and whether I would be interested. I passed my details on as it seemed like a good option. 

Within a few days I was in touch with the Care Director, Victor* after a couple of phone calls with Victor he came to visit me in Portsmouth with his colleague, Sue*. Full of nervous butterflies I was looking forward to the possibility of getting out of my rigid routine. 

I was promised the life I always wanted with CARE- support when I needed and more importantly INDEPENDANCE. The first few weeks encountered a few hiccups but a part from that things were looking up. 

I noticed a few unorthodox methods with CARE but I was just hoping that things were going to improve- like I was promised. It first started with the joint back account and the demand that I must stay in Portsmouth over the summer so new carers could train. Despite the unreasonable requests I agreed to stay with company as I was SO desperate to leave my current care.

During the summer I met my first new member of 'my own' care team, she was a lot of fun & we got on brilliantly. She was a part of my team along with carer Sophie* who I carried over from my old care company- which was fab :)

As the summer drew to close and the new term was due to begin, the cracks started to show, alarm bells in my head were ringing so loudly it was deafening. Victor and Sue were controlling me. I had to justify everything I EVER did, shopping, beauty routines, what TV I watched, I had to literally Beg to visit my family for a few days. I was cracking under the pressure. Life wasn't the same anymore.

Then it got worse.

(to be continued)

Chapter one

"THERE'S NO BEGINNING OR END..."

So I'm Beatrice, 22. You may be wondering why I'm writing a blog or who I am. Well the answer to that is a mystery at the moment. All I know is that I'm 'disabled' in the eyes of society and have a lot to say about life...

I never wanted my disability to become 'a part' of my life even though it affects the way a live everyday, I wanted to 'beat it' if that was even possible. I am a wheelchair user with Cerebral Palsy & Scoliosis. Before 12 months ago I had the most 'normal' life possible. Well, as normal as can be expected. But that all changed.

There's no beginning or end to this story, just moving from one bad situation to another. Little did I know this was going to change me forever. Due to the extent of my disability I require care to live life to the full. Eurgh, terribly chiche I know. I'm guessing that unless you have been living under  rock, you would of heard some kind of horror story about the care sector but I never dreamt in a million years that I would be a star of my own horror story.

So how did I end up in the situation? The once feisty, go getting, loud girl ending up in what I can only describe as the Natzi care company. Conned.

The reason I have chosen to tell my story is that I feel I need to raise awareness to help people in my situation. All I wanted was independence.

Over the next few posts I will be speaking up about the experience that changed my life.    

Until Then

Bea x