The bond between sisters is special. Two sisters who share an extra special bond are Christine Keenoy and her sister Rosemary Dunn.
Like many others, when Christine first heard about switching to Direct Payment, she didn’t know what to expect.
Rosemary is supported by CommunitySpace and depends on Christine for much of her day-to-day routine. A fundamental part of this is managing her personal budget through a Direct Payment. Although the initial process of changing to Direct Payment involved some effort, Christine believes the switch has made a huge difference to both her and her sister.
“Rosemary’s quality of life is as good as it could be now,” she says. “I know exactly what is being spent on the everyday things and think that makes everything a lot easier. For me, it is definitely less stressful now that we have changed the way we receive the money – I don’t have to go to anybody and ask for money to spend on her the same way I used to.
“Rosemary can’t read or write as a result of her learning difficulties. A separate bank account has been set up for me to manage and it only has Direct Payment money in it. I received a card as well as a chequebook, though I don’t really use the card. We also get sent invoices so I can keep a record of the things we spend money on for Rosemary.
“I’m better informed about where the money is going and I feel more in control of it all. In the past, things were happening and I didn’t know where the money was going. I now know exactly how much everything costs.”
Rosemary is gaining benefits too. “She’s quite active and really enjoys the dance and Taekwondo exercise classes on a Tuesday at CommunitySpace,” Christine says. “She’s definitely out and about more than she was and occasionally makes use of her freedom pass if the bus isn’t too crowded.”