Devoted couple vow to stay together in ill-health

AND LOCAL CARE SERVICES SUPPORT THEM TO DO SO

- KATIE TIMMS

WHEN Rod and Barbara Haywood made their wedding vows to each other in 1964, they vowed to stay together 'in sickness and in health' Today, the couple are showing how much they really meant it, as Barbara has a neurological condition called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and needs round the clock support.

Rod, aged 83, is her main carer and the pair, who met when Barbara was just 15, are determined to stay together in their terraced house in Plymouth.

Rod said: "Without me, Barbara would have to go into a care home and that would be the end. I'll do anything rather than have her put in a home or a hospital.

"She has only to be away from me for two days and she is absolutely stricken with fear that she isn't going to see me again."

The couple are able to stay at home with the support of a multi-disciplinary team made up of health professionals such as GPs, community nurses from Livewell Southwest, social workers and voluntary care organisations. Together, they create a care plan for older people who are diagnosed as being clinically frail but wish to remain independent and have ongoing care in their own home.