Socially isolated

Jane* had become socially isolated after her elderly brother, who has been supporting her, was no longer able to get her out into the community.

A heavy smoker, she increased her intake of tobacco due to sitting at home all day and she subsequently diagnosed with depression. This caused a barrier to the outside world and she became anxious at the thought of leaving her home.

Once Jane was referred to Caremark, we put a care plan in place which began with three calls a day to support with medication, food, fluids and personal care. She was very accepting of the care however would not be open with the team about what she wanted to get out of the care in the community and how she felt regarding living in her own environment.

We allocated a permanent care assistant into the call in the hope that this would build trust for Jane and wean her off her cigarette addiction and encourage her to do other more stimulating things than watching television all day.

This started with small tasks with Jane being encouraged to be part of the house cleaning and picking outfits to wear each day which empowered her. Over time, she began to ask to go out onto the front garden during her visits and started helping staff with gardening activities.

As time went on, Jane asked to visit the supermarket and look round the shops, so we had an Occupational Therapist visit to ensure this was safe and they got her a wheelchair for us to be able to take her out on her visits. We then added a companionship call to her care plan and as a result she and now accesses the community on a weekly basis, visiting different places such as cafes/restaurants/pubs, shopping, museums and wildlife parks.

This has made Jane happier in herself and she now actively always looks forward to her companionship calls and getting to choose where to visit. She is also a frequent visitor at our monthly coffee club and enjoys taking part in the games and engaging in conversations with other customers during her time with us.

Jane is now more socially accepting of leaving her home and has found a new purpose in her life. Her depression has reduced, is much more positive and we are continuing to work with her to plan and facilitate even more social visits.

*Name changed