- Date: 18/12/2020
Bridget works in our Welfare Checks Service Team, visiting vulnerable adults and helping signpost them to local support. Here she talks us through a typical day as a Community Wellbeing Worker at Revival.
In my role I carry out assessments of vulnerable adults who are unable or reluctant to leave their homes because of the pandemic. I see people in the comfort of their homes – which also includes seeing people in their narrowboats and mobile homes or simply phoning them if they don’t want people in their home.
Our welfare checks are open to those in Newcastle, Stafford Borough and Staffordshire Moorlands and I cover all these areas, alongside my colleague, Kerry.
This morning I started off by doing my first visit and assessment on an elderly gentleman living alone. This assessment covers a range of things from safety in the home, if they can take care of themselves and what support they currently have. He didn’t have a computer or access to the internet so needed assistance claiming a benefit, which we could help with. While looking round his home, I also noticed he didn’t have a smoke detector and could do with some extra safety measures to prevent him from falling. After a quick chat, he agreed we could make a referral to the fire service for a separate home safety check from them, and I left him to think about other safety measures, such as grabrails and nonslip bathmats.
Next up was a phone call with another gentleman to arrange for me to pop over for a home visit. He seemed confused over the phone so I told him I’d come over straight away. When I got there he didn’t know what medication he had taken that day or what he needed to do. After speaking to his GP surgery, they admitted him to hospital. If I hadn’t called or visited today, I’m not sure what would have happened to him.
No time to think too much about this, as it was a quick lunch in the car then off to visit a lady. During the visit, I did the assessment and found out she didn’t have a smoke detector or a lifeline. We chatted about the benefits of having both, especially with her living on her own, and how we can organise getting them sorted. We also spoke about our befriending service, which she decided against, but she has agreed to emotional support phone calls from our team and for us to visit her again.
My last visit of the day is a lady who needs adaptions to her home after her health changed earlier this year. To get to her front door, you need to go up a few steps, which she can no longer easily do. She is also struggling to use her bathroom and kitchen as she is now in a wheelchair. I have agreed to arrange some quotes for the works to make it easier for her to leave the house and live in her home safely.
Now it’s time to drive back home after a busy day driving around Staffordshire. Who knows what tomorrow will be like, as every visit is as unique and different, just like the needs that bring each and every customer to Revival. So for now, it’s time to switch off and relax ready to help more people keep their home safe, sound and full of life tomorrow.
Revival’s welfare checks are available to those over 18 who live in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands and Stafford. To find out more about the service and how you could refer yourself or someone you know, click here.