The Harrogate Easier Living Project helps older, disabled or vulnerable people to stay independent at home for longer.
Themes
Practical support, respite and social inclusion.
Locality
The Harrogate district area.
Aims
Helping older, disabled or vulnerable people to stay independent at home for longer.
Details
The project provides the following services:
- Practical support: DIY, decorating and gardening for people who are no longer able to do these tasks;
- Regular respite for carers through short breaks and occasional holiday support; and
- Transport and support: enabling people to go where they need or wish to, accompanied by a volunteer, e.g. medical appointments, social/leisure activities.
We aim to improve people's wellbeing, reduce their feeling of isolation and increase their confidence about living at home.
Our user group meets four times a year to discuss operations, user engagement and marketing, and to influence and shape development, including the future of HELP. We also involve current and former service users in helping to deliver training where appropriate and in the design and delivery of daytime activities.
Some volunteers have gone on to use our services and some service users have become volunteers, which gives a unique insight of great value to the project.
We also send out an annual questionnaire asking the views of people who use our services.
We carried out research into services available locally (as a CVS, we monitor unmet needs) and confirmed that we are the only providers of such services on a donation-only basis. In a recent survey of clients, 61.5 per cent of respondents said it was very or quite important that we asked for a donation instead of charging and 27.6 per cent confirmed that they would not be able to use the service if charged, or would have to use it less often (2014 HELP survey).
We carried out research which showed that the most popular ways that our sample of people gets their information was from friends and family, the local paper and notice boards. We regularly put posters and leaflets in places such as GPs surgeries, dentists, post offices, supermarkets etc. Articles about our services and events are regularly in the local press and we encourage service users to pass our leaflets on to friends and neighbours. We use social media to engage with the wider community, including existing and potential volunteers and community groups.
Our steering group includes professionals from organisations who refer people to the scheme, stakeholders from other charities and current and former trustees of our board. This ensures better cross-referrals and development of complementary services. Our user group ensures that we develop our services in line with the needs and wishes of people who use the services and our volunteers. Investing in marketing skills within the staff team has been very successful in terms of increasing our reach.
As with the development and implementation of our project, our user group is still a key part of the project.
Both service users and volunteers are involved with fundraising and awareness raising as well as volunteer recruitment.
We run a carers' information session during Carers' Week which is available to all.
We have close connections with Harrogate district Over Fifties Forum.
We engage with local businesses who support us through fundraising, awareness raising and with practical support.
We continue to be the only local provider of such services on a donation-only basis. One hundred per cent of respondents to our 2014 service were pleased with the service we provided. We go beyond simply providing the practical support to signpost people to other services that can help them (see the case studies below).
In addition, our volunteers are well trained and well supported: in our 2014 volunteer survey, 50 per cent of our volunteers said that they had improved their skills in interacting with people with dementia, and 71 per cent had improved their skills in supporting people with impairments, whether hearing, visual or mobility.
Examples of how the service has benefited local people
Over the past three years, 391 people have said that our services have improved their health and wellbeing, enabling increased access to activities of their own choosing, reduced isolation and anxiety. Here are two specific examples:
Case study one:
C is one of our gardening clients who lives alone. We have visited her regularly over the past three years. C's family had given her some new slippers which did not fit well. One day she lost her balance on the stairs, but did not want family to know. She was very bruised and sore and was surprised that she had not broken anything. She told our worker in passing and said that her handrails were too short for her to reach. She also said that her meal trolley was too high for her to manage when sitting in her armchair. The worker suggested a review from the social services team. With consent, a referral was put in for an assessment. The OT assessed C for a replacement meal trolley. At this time C felt that she could also mention her fall. The OT was able to assess her on the stairs and refer on for extended handrails. C said that she felt less anxious and more confident about living at home.
Case study two:
D was suffering from depression. His toilet had broken and he had no hot water in the property. Due to the condition of his home, contractors had refused to go in and fix the plumbing. Help at Home were contacted by the housing office and his tenancy support worker for some practical help with tidying. The housing officer introduced us, and initially he was reluctant to let us in. After a short while, he felt able to help out with the clearing and sorting, and could begin to see the difference. He said 'it didn't take much but I couldn't have done this by myself, I just did not know where to start and could not get motivated'. He said that we had made a big difference to him in his life, and that he felt much happier about being at his home. Prior to this he chose to spend most of his day out of the flat as he didn't like being there. The team worked with D, by clearing the rubbish and giving the place a spring clean. He could then have the plumbing fixed.
Contact details
Frances Elliot, project manager
Tel: 01423 813090
Web: www.harcvs.org.uk/HELP
