An Angus couple have spoken of their relief after the local authority performed a surprise u-turn on a home respite refusal for their disabled daughter.
Gillian and Rob Millman previously told how they were facing the agonising decision of whether to put 21-year-old Lauren into full-time care after their home respite plea was turned down.
Lauren requires specialist care after she was left in a vegetative state following a failed attempt to take her own life in 2013.
She had a regular respite place at a neurological care centre in Dundee until recently after the management decided they could no longer support her complex needs.
A request for respite care instead at the specially-adapted family home in Arbroath was not approved and the only option that remained was a brain injury unit in Monifieth which would have been on a permanent basis.
Mum Gillian said the council’s U-turn means she’ll now be able to sleep at night rather than being wracked with worry.
She said: “The added pressure so close to losing my dad so suddenly and the constant mental fatigue that looking after Lauren brings, this outcome is one less thing to keep me awake at night.
“We are all grateful for the continued support our friends and the local community have shown, it does make a difference to our lives.
“Lauren will never be able to thank people herself, but she would be overwhelmed by the compassion we have all seen.
“Now we can go away for a welcome break knowing Lauren is in safe, appropriate and familiar surroundings, and supported by a team she trusts.
“We would like to thank Lauren’s care manager and Angus Council for showing that they can be flexible and actually listen and support unpaid carers, by seeing Lauren as a person and not just a case.”
Lauren’s prognosis and age means her needs are unique in Scotland if not the UK.
