Oxfordshire mother who cares for 27-year-old daughter helping improve care provision
Watch report from ITV Meridian's Natalie Verney
An Oxfordshire mum who has been caring for her daughter for 27 years is using her experience to help other carers.
Elsa Dawson is working alongside Oxfordshire County Council to improve support in the future by developing a new unpaid carers strategy.
Together, they've spoken to 1600 carers across the county, to hear real life experiences. Elsa is able to help because she knows exactly what stress carers are under.
Looking after Elisa, she admits, is tough: "Last night I was woken up by her and my husband was trying to deal with her incontinence at 1am in the morning and it was a mess and that I do find extremely difficult.
"I get very stressed. I get very angry and irritated.
"If you don't watch her carefully the whole time, if you don't supervise breakfast properly then she can get it all over her face and on her hands and then she has a tendency to rub her eyes.
"So, if I haven't cleaned her face and kept her hands clean, she can actually get food into her eyes and that could cause an infection so it's a constant stress really."
Elsa Dawson has been caring for her daughter Elisa for 27 years.
Elsa does get respite when Elisa attends a care facility in Surrey - paid for by Oxfordshire County Council.
But there are more than 50,000 unpaid carers in the county, and not everyone receives the same amount of support.
That's why Elsa is determined to try and help the council improve its support in the future by developing a new unpaid carers strategy.
"I feel I'm making sense of it now with the work I'm doing with Oxfordshire.
"So I'm trying to use my experience with Elisa to help them develop a positive vision and a strategy that will really make a difference to carers in Oxfordshire."
Karen Fuller, Director of Adult Social Care at Oxfordshire County Council said: "Sometimes it is somebody to talk to, sometimes it is a very short break, sometimes it is a longer respite in different guises.
"But I think that one of the things that's really come through is about information.
"Understanding where they can be signposted to and actually have that support.
"Elsa has been incredibly helpful and as an individual, really driving us forward as a county council in terms of challenging us, and ensuring that the voice of the carer is absolutely at the heart of everything we do."
A new plan will go out to consultation in the coming months.
If you or your family are in need of support you can contact the following organisations.
Revitalise - 0303 303 0145
Dementia UK - 0800 888 6678
Crossroads Care - 020 8943 9421
Carers UK - 020 7378 4999
Carers Trust - 0300 772 9600
Rethink - 0808 801 0525
Samaritans - 116 123
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