Towards care in the community: a carer's tale.

It is not easy to write about the recent death of a parent. While carrying out action research on community care planning in the Midlands, the author was compelled to gain first-hand experience of the impact of care in the community at the sharp end by his mother's terminal illness. The learning curve was steep. Care workers have to take a lot of knocks in the current political environment. It is a relief--and no little personal therapy--to be able to report a success story. Writing up the experience provided an opportunity to express gratitude to all members of the care team involved and at the same time to vaunt the concept of the 'live-in carer' scheme, an innovation deserving replication elsewhere.