Marion of Staying Connected in Later Life tells the Gurn:
"We are looking for people over 60, who live with arthritis or other long-term health conditions, who feel isolated or lonely and would like the opportunity to learn how to self-manage. We have a team of trained volunteers who understand what it is like to live with a long-term condition and chronic pain. They are ready to provide people with personalised support to help them take control over their condition. Participants receive a personalised action plan, based on their own circumstances, and what they would like to achieve. Then volunteers visit them at home every week for up to eight weeks, to help follow the action plan, and identify a community activity they would like to attend."
Maron sent us a poster which is a bit difficult for us to display given the size limitations of the page so we've reproduced the text from the poster below.
You can see the poster here however.
June is one of a team of Volunteer Connectors delivering a
new type of support to older people with arthritis/other
long-term conditions in Nairn and the surrounding area. June
lives with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and, therefore,
understands the difficulties involved in living with chronic pain
and physical limitations.
The Staying Connected in Later Life service aims to help
people take more control over their lives by participating in a
short-term 1-1 mentoring programme. They are matched
with a Volunteer Connector who visits them at home to help
them:
- Learn self-management techniques to
better manage their condition(s)
- Make positive choices to achieve their
own personal goals
- Identify and engage with community
activities to keep them connected
June was recently matched with Jack, who had been
discharged from hospital after a prolonged stay with severe
and multiple medical problems. When he returned home, he
was using a wheelchair to get around indoors and a scooter
for outdoors. Jack was determined to get back on his feet as
soon as possible and he was already managing well under
the circumstances. But he was feeling quite low about his
limitations: the inability to get out in his car, his motorhome,
etc. meant he had to find new hobbies. He rarely had visitors
and he didn’t like to ask for help either.
We used the Older Persons Outcomes Star to identify what
Jack wanted to achieve and what stage he was at currently.
We looked at what mattered most to Jack, and where he
might need some support. From this, we were able to break
down Jack’s personal goals into manageable steps and
develop an Action Plan that June would support him to
follow, making use of self-management techniques to help
him take control over his condition.
June visited Jack every Tuesday for eight weeks and they
followed the plan together, which enabled Jack to set himself
goals in between visits. Each time Jack achieved his weekly
goals, he grew in confidence and felt better equipped to
make even more progress. As his self-esteem grew, Jack
was also doing exercises he had been given by the
physiotherapy team, to strengthen his muscles, and using a
walker provided by the OT to get about the house. But to get back behind the wheel of his car, he needed a lighter
wheelchair. “That’s okay”, says Jack, “I know where I can buy
a lightweight wheelchair!”.
There was no stopping him, he was highly motivated and
thus able to benefit from June’s gentle guidance and support
to make steady progress towards his goals. During their eight
weeks together, they discussed action-planning, problem solving,
assertive communication, pacing, prioritising, and
they identified a group that Jack could join when he was able.
And, once he got his lighter wheelchair he could drive himself
right to the door and even offer other people a lift
It wasn’t always plain sailing, there were some setbacks,
which Jack used the problem-solving technique to resolve.
And there were low points when Jack was very anxious
about a close family member who was very ill. June provided
a valuable listening ear, and reassurance for Jack when he
reached a low ebb. With such high expectations of himself,
he was prone to getting frustrated at what he perceived as
slow progress, but June kept him focused on what was
achievable, reminding him how far he had already come in a
relatively short period of time.
Jack has made excellent progress so far, but more
importantly he has picked up some new skills, which he took
to very quickly, and will stand him in very good stead in the
future. Whoever said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks
was clearly wrong!
(Jack’s name was changed to protect his identity.)
Staying Connected in Later Life is an Arthritis Care service,
which is part of Arthritis Research UK since our recent
merger. If you or someone you know is:
- Isolated or lonely
- Living with arthritis or other
long-term conditions
- Over 60 years of age
- Interested in volunteering
