Amelia's story
It was difficult to admit that I needed some help, but it gets easier every time. caba are very easy to get on with and nothing seems to take very long. I feel more secure now.
I lost my husband 8 years ago and miss him so much. We were married as soon as he qualified, and my heart skipped a beat when he came in every day - right to the end. I treasure the time we had together.
He was quite an ambitious man, worked his way up and bought his way into, then took over a practice. We lived very well. I stayed at home and supported the children through their school and university careers. We had a happy home, and it seemed right to share it, so as our own children grew older, we fostered three more children on a long-term basis. There were challenges, but really it was lovely.
When my husband retired we continued to enjoy a good standard of living, he had several pensions. The only thing was, all the pensions were in his name only - he said we would get more money that way. He thought he'd live forever, and I didn't like to think about things like that, so that's just the way things were.
But when he was 73, he died. It was quite unexpected. And as I began to look at my finances, I realised that without his pensions, my income was very limited indeed. Fortunately caba had sent me a letter saying that they were there if I ever needed help.
I'm not a big spender, but things in the house started to need attention. I had to have part of the roof repaired and buy some radiators. And then a wooden window at the top of the house rotted out. The house was open to all weather and the wallpaper was hanging off. It was a bit desperate really. I spoke to caba and they said to get a quote and come back to them. They also asked if I had any other problems and I explained that I had stopped using electricity upstairs because of a fault. They were so supportive and helped me get both problems resolved very quickly. They also helped me buy a little vacuum for the stairs as I was getting worried about falling with my big one.
I think they thought I could do with a bit of an outing and they offered to fund a few days away. I chose to go to Harrogate as we used to take the children there - I stayed in the same apartment. It was wonderful, I think it really helps to take a break sometimes.
It was difficult to admit that I needed some help, but it gets easier every time I speak to them. They are very easy to get on with and nothing seems to take very long. I used to worry that the washing machine would pack up or something, but I feel more secure now, it takes the pressure off. My children are kind, and I am sure they would help if I asked, but I don't want to, it's important to me that I am not dependent on them.
I do think it's lovely that my husband was part of an industry that takes such good care of loved ones. When caba have helped me in the past I've looked at my husband's photo and said 'Thanks for that.' It really feels that it's to do with him.