CCH – Wellbeing & Practical Support for Older People with disabilities/ASN and Respite Support for their Carers

Outcome

Older disabled people and their Carers will have received wellbeing and practical support that’s otherwise inaccessible but which will help them feel less isolated and lonely and more resilience and positive

Results

We provided year-round befriending/respite activity sessions for disabled older people during which their Carers accessed much-needed regular respite breaks. These mutually-beneficial but independent opportunities that would otherwise be inaccessible helped both groups feel better supported, less lonely and more positive overall. Carers additionally reported feeling less stressed and more confident/capable to continuing their caring role. We also provided on-going practical support, e.g., food hampers, that supported the overall health of both older people and their Carers as well as several community-based social opportunities that enabled older people and their Carers to get out into the community, positively engage outwith the stress at home, and build stronger family relationships and positive new connections/networks with community members: supporting their on-going inclusion, mental health and wellbeing.

Case study

OP1 is physically disabled, has some dementia, and is cared for by her daughter. Although OP1’s mental and physical health has gotten worse over the past 5 years since her husband passed away, her daughter had become particularly concerned about her beginning 2021 as she felt her mother had completely disconnected and given up on life. Whilst we picked up on her poor mental health and total lack of confidence in the initial befriending and respite activity sessions we provided to OP1 within her home; she began to be more spirited and engaged as time progressed and truly bonded with her volunteer befriender over the many interests they shared, especially art, which led us to offer many different art-related activities/crafts during the sessions provided. During these sessions, OP1’s daughter was able to reconnect and socialise with friends and also began accessing a carer’s group. This gave them both something positive to regularly look forward to and OP1’s daughter said that she was so thrilled to see her mother looking so happy and excited before every scheduled visit.
Although OP1 and her daughter did not initially take part in the community-based social activities we ran due to OP1’s initial anxiety over leaving the house, they were eventually supported to come along to the community-wide Jubilee Celebration event we held alongside OP1’s volunteer befriender during which they took part in several themed activities including a mini-session in which our older clients were able to reminiscence of the Queen and her Coronation. Both OP1 and her daughter loved taking part in the event, with OP1 stating “This has been such a great event. It’s been so nice to see the community together again and to be able to mix and meet new people. I’d like to come to more events like this” and OP1’s daughter stating “It’s just so brilliant to see mum come out and simply enjoy herself. I can’t think of the last time we went to anything and had fun together. This has really meant a lot.” The 2 were also later supported to take part and enjoy a vintage film night we held specifically for cared-for disabled older people and their Carers.
OP1 and her daughter continued to engage in the programme for several more weeks; however, OP1 unfortunately took unwell towards the end of funding period in which she was hospitalised. Although this prevented us from continuing to provide face-to-face support, OP1’s volunteer befriender continued to phone OP1 to chat and provide listening ear support during her stay, helping keep her positive whilst in hospital. Overall, OP1 and her daughter experienced a wide range of positive outcomes as a result of the support we’ve provided, with both reporting to feel less isolated and alone, better supported, happier, and more positive. OP1 also clearly experienced vastly improved mental health and her daughter credited us with helping her mother completely transform and become more like her old self, which helped her daughter feel less stressed and worried about her mother and also improved their overall communication and relationship with each other.

Outcome

Carers will have accessed regular respite breaks to focus on their own wellbeing, spend time with family/friends, and access carers groups or other activities that were previously inaccessible due to their caring role. As a result, they’ll feel less isolated and stressed

Results

We provided year-round befriending/respite activity sessions for disabled older people during which their Carers accessed much-needed regular respite breaks. These mutually-beneficial but independent opportunities that would otherwise be inaccessible helped both groups feel better supported, less lonely and more positive overall. Carers additionally reported feeling less stressed and more confident/capable to continuing their caring role. We also provided on-going practical support, e.g., food hampers, that supported the overall health of both older people and their Carers as well as several community-based social opportunities that enabled older people and their Carers to get out into the community, positively engage outwith the stress at home, and build stronger family relationships and positive new connections/networks with other community members: supporting their on-going inclusion, mental health and wellbeing.

Case study

OP2 is deaf and has several serious life-long conditions. Whilst OP2’s mother was previously his primary carer, his brother J* took over all of his caring needs at the end of 2019 after their mother passed away. Although J has tried to stay positive in his new role, he admitted to feeling completely overwhelmed in his new caring role and felt like he had no life outwith working and taking care of his brother, especially after splitting from his partner early on during the pandemic who has previously helped him care for OP2. He was therefore ecstatic to have an opportunity to access this service so that he could finally have a bit of time to himself. Whilst OP2 accessed befriending support, at-home respite activities, and went on outings into the community with his volunteer Befriender, J was able to once again reconnect with old friends and get back into playing football regularly which he’d previously been forced to stop. This provided a very important outlet for J, both mentally and physically, and helped him to de-stress and feel less lonely and much healthier. Having access to their own independent activities additionally gave both J and OP2 something to regularly look forward to and supported their overall social inclusion and wellbeing. J stated “I love [OP2], we get on brilliantly and I’m happy to take care of him but it’s just been so hard, especially during the pandemic and I got to the point where I honestly felt like I had no life at all. I can’t really describe how much this has meant to me but it’s….it’s just been amazing and I feel so much better now. Thank you for everything you’ve given both of us.”

Outcome

Carers will have accessed regular respite breaks to focus on their own wellbeing, spend time with family/friends, and access carers groups or other activities that were previously inaccessible due to their caring role. As a result, they’ll feel less isolated and stressed

Results

We provided year-round befriending/respite activity sessions for disabled older people during which their Carers accessed much-needed regular respite breaks. These mutually-beneficial but independent opportunities that would otherwise be inaccessible helped both groups feel better supported, less lonely and more positive overall. Carers additionally reported feeling less stressed and more confident/capable to continuing their caring role. We also provided on-going practical support, e.g., food hampers, that supported the overall health of both older people and their Carers as well as several community-based social opportunities that enabled older people and their Carers to get out into the community, positively engage outwith the stress at home, and build stronger family relationships and positive new connections/networks with other community members: supporting their on-going inclusion, mental health and wellbeing.

Case study

OP3 is a 74 year-old male that has very limited mobility, several health conditions and is cared-for by his wife. Although OP3’s wife had already cared for him for many years due to his worsening mobility and health, she has really struggled over the past 3 years as his health significantly deteriorated during the pandemic and he began to have signs of dementia. This increased stress was made worse by the significant isolation they’d both experienced due to shielding for extensive periods which hugely impacted not only their individual mental health but also their relationship. We provided on-going befriending and respite activity sessions within OP3’s home which enabled his wife to simply get out of the house, meet up with friends that she hadn’t seen since before the pandemic started, and focus on herself. As a result of accessing these breaks, OP3’s wife reported feeling less stressed, much happier overall, and “like a new person” and she was much more positive about continuing her on-going caring role moving forward. Likewise, OP3 responded very positively to the befriending and respite sessions provided in which he and the 2 volunteers working with/alternating time with him mostly just talked about their lives and played his favourite card games(OP3’s preference). Having this “me time” apart gave OP3 and his wife a range of new things to talk about when together which, together with the overall support provided, helped improve their overall communication and relationship as they were able to once again explore their roles as independent people outwith being a carer and the cared-for person. These improvements were evidenced in both feedback/evaluations and in our own observations, as we could clearly see how much more positive both OP3 and his wife were as the months went on. These overall positive changes has helped OP3’s wife feel more confident and capable of managing her on-going caring responsibilities moving forward.