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INTERACT provides care and support for adults (18+) registered with a Norwich GP.
Mrs A was referred to INTERACT by an income officer at Norwich City Council. She had some debt and had said that she was not coping in her property because she couldn’t move around easily and she was worried about falling. This was having a bad effect on her wellbeing.
An Age UK social worker made a call to complete an assessment and from that build a care and support plan. Advice was given about her situation and they decided together what kind of support she might need.
Mrs A was very clear that she needed to move home and wanted to be near the community support services that she had previously used regularly, and which were important to her wellbeing.
Mrs A was on her own a lot but was also very worried about leaving her house and joining in with community activities. Her difficulty with moving around and mental health were both stopping her achieving this goal.
Mrs A was receiving Employment Support Allowance, Housing Benefit and her Personal Independence Payment was due to be reviewed.
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The client was told that, because of her age, she could move into sheltered housing and that she could get support with bidding on properties suitable for her needs.
Before a move Mrs A was referred for handrails in her bathroom to make getting in and out of her bath safer and easier.
To help with Mrs A’s wellbeing she was referred to Better Together Norfolk and have 1:1 support from a Life Connector who was able to introduce her to social activities and groups to help with her loneliness. Mrs A could have the support of an Enhanced Recovery Worker from MIND, linked to her GP surgery where she could have some short-term talking therapy.
She was referred for 10 sessions of personalised strength and balance training from a health coach to help with her health and problems moving around.
Later, Mrs A explained how good a mobility scooter would be for her. Enough funding was found for the purchase of a scooter.
Mrs A’s INTERACT worker could also support with her PIP review, which was successful, leading to more income and independence.
Result
Mrs A said that she had not heard of INTERACT and that she was pleased the council’s Income Officer had taken the time to tell her about it. She felt that she had been listened to and that in the past she had not had a worker who had changed so many things for her.
The personalised support that INTERACT gave her was important to the success of the outcomes. Mrs A was very grateful to the worker for taking the time to be with her at the first appointments with other agencies, as well as her PIP review assessment, as this helped with her anxiety, which had stopped her from asking for help. The mobility scooter had been lifechanging, as she could now go to her social groups, therapy sessions and go grocery shopping for the first time in years.
