Prevention Investment Fund Live Well in Later Life

1

Prevention Investment Fund

Case Study Booklet

Prevention Investment Fund

Live Well in Later Life

2

Volunteering Investment

Case Study 1 – Libertus Volunteering

• 57 year old lady • Unemployed for over 10 years due to back problems

• Did not feel ready for employment physically and mentally

Mary is very sociable and has fitted in well with both staff and members but lacked confidence in her ability to work. After spending sometime within the project Mary began to gain confidence in her role and herself. Showing an interest in our members with Dementia, the project provided Mary with training in Dementia, Passenger Assistance, Reminiscence and First aid as well as valuable in house training. Mary began to lead groups in reminiscence and helped arrange an outing with the members. She expressed that she has less problems with her back due to her getting out of the house more and has engaged in more physical exercise. Mary expressed she feels less isolated and happier quoting “I have found an abundance of new friends who I am grateful to”. During supervision Mary advised she would like to start applying for jobs. Working in conjunction with WEACT and The Volunteering Project Mary was able to gain employability skills, CV, Interview skills etc. Mary is now enjoying her new role working part time in a local Care Home.

Case Study 2 – VCE Shopping Buddies

This client is 93 and she has lived in the same area for nearly all her life. Her husband died some time ago and all of her best friends have also died. She keeps excellent general health and her memory is also extremely good. However, her mobility is not great and she uses a walker for balance and support. “R is my oasis in the desert of communication”

The volunteer used to work for a disability charity and is used to assessing access for people with disabilities of all kinds. This has made the client feel confident about going out to new places because she knows that R will have assessed them properly. Ultimately this enabled the client to go to a Fringe show this year.

3

Befriending

Case Study 3 – Bethany Christian Fund

• Male

• Visually impaired

• Reluctant to make friends as he thought they were calling him "the blind

man"

“We've been meeting regularly for the last 9 months and it's been very positive. I gently challenge him in different areas, like for example: to learn to use his cane properly as he refuses to use it outside, worried about what other people would think or concerned about wacking them with it. We try to focus his attention on activities that don't require sight and we've been to live music events as we both love jazz.”

Written by Leo Paredes-Esteve who befriended A.

Case Study 4 - Living Memory Association

“One man in his 90’s who regularly pops into our Little Shop of Memory served in the RAF during the war. When we asked what he was doing for Remembrance Day he said he usually just went up on his own to watch the parade. We wrote to the RAF on his behalf and this year he has been invited to attend the ceremony at St Giles Cathedral in pride of place. The RAF are also interested in his memories and we are working with him to collate them for their archives.”

Case Study 5 – Leith Time Bank

In April 2015, we arranged a meeting with Pauline (70 years old and deaf since birth), Sara (63 years old with mild anxiety) and the Time Broker in a well-lit, quiet meeting space for effective communication. Both participants got on well and arranged to see an exhibition together. After the success of the exhibition, they have organised other 1:1 exchanges and keep in weekly contact via email. Both members (one with complex health conditions and the other with low health conditions) are benefiting from each other’s support. They are able to look after and improve their own and each other’s health because of the impact of the Time Bank. Apr15 – Went to see an exhibition at Parliament (2.5 hours) Jun15 – Went to the eye pavilion appointment (4.5 hours) Oct15 – Went to the Volunteers’ Fair (2.5 hours) “I thought it went very well, and she seemed happy to help on future occasions. Sara and I get on very well indeed” (Pauline, via email, unprompted)

4

Proactive Care and Support at Home

Case Study 6 – Steady Steps

Norm, 75 years old

After accident 2014 paralysed from the waist down and unable to walk for several months

After being discharged from hospital Norm worked on his walking, with his walking frame, and his OT at home. However he noticed he was no longer improving, and was starting to plateau. Norm was still heavily reliant on his walker, his carer (wife) and was not able to do anything independently. “It wasn’t till I came to Steady Steps until I started to do things on my own, without my walker or holding onto a chair. At the classes I began with using the chairs, then I started not using the chairs, by the end I wasn’t needing the chairs at all’. Now I never use the walker at home, I walk about the house, go to the toilet, go to the shower, go to bed, get dressed totally unaided. So I have become more mobile, each week after each session I feel like I could do more and do more for longer.’’

5

Case Study 7 - Cornerstone

JP is socially isolated and his wife is under immense carer stress. She said JP is not interested

in doing anything, has no hobbies and is grumpy all the time she said she is at her wits end

as she has no support from family as her son and daughter both live in Australia. We complete

a personal plan for everyone that uses the service and one question we ask is “what did you

used to do that you can’t do now?” JP said two things: firstly, go back to the area he was

brought up in (The Canongate), and the second thing was going out for fish and chips which

is his favourite meal.

We decided to take JP out with a second referral I had received for a gentleman, J M. We

thought it would alleviate social isolation for both of them, and hopefully they would become

friends. It also meant, if successful, that we could take more people on if we could buddy

some people up.

Their first joint trip was a drive around High Street and Canongate. We then took both out

for lunch at a local pub. This ticked all the boxes for both of them. The day was a great success

and they now go out together every Thursday. A really strong friendship and bond has

developed which is wonderful to see.

Case Study 8 – Thistle Lifestyle Management

Jack is a 55 year old man who has been married for 22 years. His wife has MS and he says he has found it an unmanageable stress. If his wife couldn’t do something he would beat himself up. If for instance, she couldn’t go swimming, he would blame himself for it – that maybe he was not putting enough effort into it. He felt that no-one could help him...it had to be him, and that no-one else would understand the position he was in.

When he came on the Lifestyle Management course, he said what he really wanted was to come off his medication with no ill effects. He was being treated for anxiety and depression and he had tried to come off his medication previously (reducing it slowly) but every time he tried he relapsed. He wouldn’t believe he was coping unless he was off the medication. At this moment in time, Jack’s medication is being reduced and he has not had any ill effects so far. He now recognises that it is not his fault, and when he catches himself thinking negatively, he takes a step back and takes a few Belly Breaths and then is able to assess the situation.

6

Support for Carers

Case Study 9 – Still Caring

• 33 year old single mother • 2 young children

• Caring for mother (who has an alcohol problem) and son (who has autism) After the first session L. said she couldn’t believe how much she had told me ‘I’ve told you more in an hour than I’ve told anyone in 20 years’. With L. being able to open up she said she was able to be more assertive with her family which has actually meant them taking responsibility for themselves and doing things for themselves instead of putting it all onto L. Her mum is now seeing a mental health worker regularly, even sometimes on her own, which L felt she wouldn’t have done previously. L. has now attended a C4C’s event. She said that in order for her to come away on that first Stepping Out weekend she had to trust her mother to look after her son, which she did. Her mother has not had a drink since before that weekend so there is also a change in her mum which she feels is linked to her trusting her and giving her the responsibility to be the main carer for the weekend. She said “all it would never have happened if I hadn’t come here to do the Life Coaching”.

7

Prevention Investment Fund

Live Well in Later Life

Case Study 10 – Saheliya

Mrs L is 83 years old and she lives on her own. She has been suffering from depression after her accident a number of years ago. She does not speak any English and relies on interpreters who can communicate with her in her native dialect Hakka, where there are very few available in the whole interpreting and translation service. Earlier this year, Mrs L had a dentist appointment during which the interpreter was very rude to her and she was very upset. The case worker who visits her regularly noticed her change of mood, and how she started to hear voices, immediately accompany her to see her GP and explained the situation. Mrs L was then referred to a psychiatrist for assessment and was diagnosed to have suffered acute episode of psychosis with depressive symptoms and was prescribed medication for her schizophrenia. For the benefit of Mrs L, the case worker, although not a professional one, has become Mrs L interpreter, with agreement between her GP, psychiatrist and community nurse.

Equalities

Case Study 11 – Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living

Darren had had a stroke and needed to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The OT referred Angela, Darren’s wife and carer, for assistance with Darren’s PIP form. His Disability Living Allowance (DLA) award (for low rate mobility and middle rate care) was about to run out and, because of a speech impairment caused by his stroke, Darren had had a difficult experience with the PIP phoneline. Darren was receiving regular occupational therapy and needed prompting, supervision and support with making decisions and carrying out everyday tasks, which Angela provided for him. Angela was not entitled to carer’s allowance, as she was over 65, however she was eligible for carer’s premium.

We met with Darren and Angela to complete the PIP form. We referred them to ILT to start the process of recruiting a personal assistant and referred Angela to VOCAL (with whom LCiL works in partnership) so that she could claim carer’s premium. Darren was eventually awarded enhanced rates for both daily living and mobility under PIP. Angela was awarded carer’s premium, and as a result they are £97.45 a week better off.