The parents of a young caregiver who committed suicide say she was haunted by washing the bodies of dead residents.
Tragic Taylor Watterson worked at Fullarton Care Home in Irvine and Shalom Care Home in Dreghorn.
Taylor, 22, was tasked with cleaning up the people he had cared for in Ayrshire homes once they died.
Her heartbroken parents Andi and Lana McCleave believe that the trauma of playing the role often affected her mental health.
This led her to quit her job and isolate herself from family and friends before taking her own life days before Christmas.
The heartbroken mother Lana McCleave with daughter Taylor in happier times. Read more related articles Read more related articles
Mother Lana, of Stevenston, Ayrshire, said: “Her job has a lot to do with her mental health.
“One day he asked me if I knew how many corpses I had washed. She had lost count. I couldn’t believe it when he said it. She was a young girl and she had to do it regularly.
“Doing it over and over again and seeing residents who were about to die regularly was hard to take on.”
Andi added: “He couldn’t be dissociated from that. He told me it was one or two people a week who took care of the ones he was losing.
“The only other line of work that would happen at this age would be a soldier in a war zone. What kind of effect did that have on the mental health of caregivers?
Care worker Taylor Watterson who took her own life. She is photographed with Father Andi and Brother Drew. FREE USE – UGC MSR
“People who had been caring for months and years had only gone a few days apart.
“They took care of these people and established relationships with them and then they left. Having a girl sitting there telling you this was heartbreaking.”
Despite seeking help from her GP and receiving medication for her mental health, she did not recover.
Since her death, Andi and Lana have spent every free minute raising funds to further support bereaved families.
They have organized a Goatfell-sponsored climb on the island of Arran, and a GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money.
Lana said: “We donated £ 1,200 to Beautiful Inside & Out, a Kilmarnock-based mental health charity.
“My employers, Confida FM, also donated £ 1,000. We chose the charity because they offer counseling to families suffering from suicide.
“Helping others is what keeps us going. We don’t want other people in that position.”
Andi added: “We don’t want to limit fundraising to a single charity, we want to spread it. We need to feel like we’re helping, because that’s what keeps us going.
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“It’s hard for us to get out of bed in the morning, but we want to spend as much time as possible and be aware of it.
“We will do our best to prevent another family from going through this. If we can help one person, it has been worth it. We were lucky to have a great support network around us to help us.”
He added: “When the suicide occurs, it is not just the loss of that person, but all the surroundings are affected.
“There is very little help for the individual and no help for the families, and that is what we are trying to change. We need to try to get more help from people. “
A Fullarton Care Home spokesman said: “Everyone in Fullarton Care Home who met Mrs Watterson when she worked here in 2019 is deeply saddened to learn of her death.
“Our deepest condolences are to his family and friends.
“We will remember her fondly as one of life’s natural caregivers, someone who easily built strong relationships with the people she cared for and who was determined to bring joy to the lives of our residents through her kindness and compassion.” .
Shalom Care Home did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Anyone who wants to make a donation to fundraising can do so here.
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