Mother and son’s ‘spirits lifted’ as North Wales holiday is a success thanks to domiciliary service

A Gwynedd dementia care group’s domiciliary service has been praised for making a family holiday to Porthmadog become a reality.

Andrew Brown hoped to bring his 81-year-old mother, Elaine Beaumont, to North Wales from Lancashire, but was struggling to find additional support, with her wheelchair dependent following a stroke four years ago.

After extensive research, they found Meddyg Care Group, which recently unveiled its Help at Home arm of the business, to aid vulnerable people living independently and has since supported a holidaymaker’s need for domiciliary care.

Help at Home focuses on a person-centred approach – every individual receives a bespoke plan which caters to their needs, from assistance with picking up medication at the local pharmacy, jobs around the house, to preparing meals.

Being Mrs Beaumont’s first holiday since her stroke, Andrew reflected on the trip: “We had a full itinerary as I wanted to make sure my mum experienced as much as possible, from visiting the smallest house in the UK to the village of Beddgelert for drinks and ice cream.

“The last four years have been difficult for my mum, so this short break has really lifted her spirits and given her a boost.”

During their stay, Andrew and Elaine travelled to several tourist spots, including the Porthmadog harbour, Conwy Castle, and the Snowdonia National Park via the steam train on the Welsh Highland Railway.

Mr Brown continued: “Up until I stumbled across Meddyg Care online, the options for domiciliary care were slim, and it seemed like there was such a lack of facilities that catered to tourists.

“Laura Haynes, the Help at Home manager, was really understanding of my situation, which made a huge difference and worked with me to put a plan together for our stay.

“My mum had assistance in the morning to help her get ready for the day, and for bed, too.

“I was nervous about everything going smoothly, but Laura reassured me and I was regularly communicated with after a team member finished each visit.

“We’ll definitely be coming back and using Help at Home again.”

The care group has three locations in Gwynedd, with its domiciliary service open to all those in needs of assistance over the age of 18, delivering the same level of support as its dementia team.

Laura added: “It’s fantastic to think our service has had such a positive impact on Mr Brown and Mrs Beaumont’s experience staying in Porthmadog.

“Meddyg Care can tailor Help at Home to holidaymakers and in turn bring more tourists to the region, who would otherwise not consider the trip due to their dependencies.

“We’re so passionate about nurturing relationships with residents and our Help at Home service users that it made perfect sense for us to extend that level of care to people visiting Gwynedd.”

Andrew explained: “Laura and her colleague, Jovy Adolfo, treated my mum with dignity and respect, and always gave her a choice; asking her what clothes she wanted to wear that day, whether she wanted a shower, or just a freshen up.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the support; it was discreet and personal, with Laura always going that extra mile. She even blow-dried and styled my mum’s hair, and it was like she’d been to a salon.

For more information, visit www.meddygcare.co.uk