Karen Watson's life seems to revolve around the word care.
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As Grampians Community Health's (GCH) Manager of Community and In-Home Assistance, she's always looking out for the interests of carers.
At home, she is full-time carer for her husband Stan, who has motor neurone disease.
If care is at the heart of what she does, it's love that keeps her going through the hard times.
Karen joined GCH in 2000 as a carer support worker. She had been nursing - a background that continues to help at home - but as she picked up more hours with GCH she gave up nursing to concentrate on the welfare field.
She worked her way through the ranks at GCH from carer support worker, case manager, team leader to her current role as Manager of Community and In-Home Assistance.
It's a challenging full-time position, but since 2016 Karen has also cared for Stan after his life-changing diagnosis.
Today, Stan is confined to a wheelchair and relies totally on Karen for his care.
Stan was fit and a marathon runner and had decided to take 12 months off work after taking a package from the Stawell Gold Mine.
While deciding on his next steps, Stan took over running the home while Karen worked full-time.
However, early in 2016 he dropped a pot for no apparent reason. It followed a few incidents such as his arms feeling weak as he hung washing and failing energy when he walked, and it was enough warning to act.
"We put it down to coming out of a strenuous job but once he dropped the crock pot, we decided he needed to get some tests done," Karen said.
A cat scan showed a pinched nerve in his neck but when it came time for surgery the surgeon decided to run more tests.
Three months later the result came back as motor neurone disease.
"It floored us - happy 60th birthday, you now have motor neurone disease," Karen said.
It was a huge shock, especially as Karen had been working with people who had motor neurone and had recently passed away.
Karen says Stan was "my rock" after the diagnosis in August 2016. "He just took it on board and said there are people worse off than me," she said. "That's always been his philosophy."
About 18 months after he was diagnosed, Stan lost the ability to walk. "He'd gone to the bathroom and felt like his feet were glued to the floor. Luckily, he had an alarm to call me and tell me he was on the floor."
In May 2020, he lost use of his arms.
For the past two years, Karen has looked after all his care needs while continuing to balance her work commitments.
"My joke is that I'm a professional nose scratcher," she says, "but the frustration is not just about me - Stan gets frustrated that he can't do things to help me and can't scratch his own nose or hold his grandchildren."
"When COVID hit and people had to start working from home, that was a bit of a boost for us," she said. "Now I go to work and come home and get Stan up and make sure he's right for the afternoon watching TV or listening to music.
Stan can still communicate and the couple cherish that connection.
"We have a routine and it's good but there are some days where I'm flat out with work and trying to balance caring for Stan," Karen said.
Stan is on NDIS and can get help but they choose not to tap into personal help. "He doesn't want other people showering him and I'm happy to do it," Karen said.
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"I get exhausted but my love for him keeps me going. I'd cared for my parents as well, so it was a natural thing. I guess it's natural resilience."
"He's always been a beautiful man. We've been married coming up 41 years and we've had a beautiful relationship."
They are also supported by two caring sons who live in Melbourne, friends and Karen's employer Grampians Community Health where she wanted to continue working.
In her role, Karen advocates on behalf of carers and she's always appreciated their contributions. Now she has joined their ranks.
"I run into carers in the street who I used to support," she said. "Some know my circumstances and will ask how Stan is and say I hope you're looking after yourself - remember you used to say to us, take time out and look after yourself."
Karen, who turns 60 this year, admits there are times they get frustrated. "I find I get more tired and there are days where I say why did this happen to us. Sometimes I feel like there are things we had planned and wanted to do that have been taken from us."
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But she isn't about to give up.
To go away is a challenge, but they continue to take breaks and have an upcoming weekend planned in Barwon Heads. "Everything has to be planned and I have a tick list to make sure I pack everything, but it's worth it," Karen said.
"The good part is that we appreciate the time that we have together. We know we're on borrowed time.
"Stan was told by his neurologist that if you're going to have MND, this is the best grouping to have. He met Neale Daniher a few years ago. They have the same grouping but it affects everyone differently."
Life expectancy is five to eight years after diagnosis.
Stan has passed five years and promisingly has been stable in recent times.
Grampians Community Health (GCH) can help carers take some time out for themselves and the person they are caring for, by accessing the Support for Carers program.
GCH is able to offer local carers access to a wide range of events, items, and supports, ranging from a massage, trip to the cinema, a weekend away with or without the person they are caring for, or in-home respite.
People can contact 5358 7400 about ways GCH can assist in their caring role.
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