Care and Repair Service. Assisting seniors living in their own homes.

Description

This service is free of charge and allows senior citizens avail of small repairs like a bolt or a safety chain fitted to their front door. sometimes it’s as simple as changing a lightbulb or installing assistance aids, such as grab rails, or a second banister on their stairs.
Denise also provides smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.
Denise takes requests from the seniors and links them with a volunteer that will visit the house and do the work. During Covid lockdown Denise bought Candles, biscuits, chocolates, tea, coffee and some other small treats to fill Care packages which were delivered to the homes of Vulnerable seniors who had no one to check in on them.

Denise was the only person that some of our vulnerable seniors saw for weeks.

Aim of Initiative

To enable senior citizens or people with a disability to live independently in their own home feeling safe and secure for as long as possible.

Who is it aimed at

Older people or persons with a disability.

3 Steps critical to success

1. The most vital step is that the funding was provided to employ Denise to facilitate the service.
2. Having volunteers willing to give their time to undertake the pieces of work that is needed by the service users.
3. The fact that the service is still running and sought after is a success in itself.

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. Lack of volunteers at times, if our volunteers are sick or on holiday the service cannot be provided.
2. Meeting expectations, sometimes people need bigger jobs done and expect them to be provided free.
3. Getting volunteers with trades and particular skill sets. While our volunteers are competent, sometimes they don’t have the skillset required to meet the need of the job.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. Senior citizens and people with a disability have benefited form this initiative by being able to have the necessary works carried out free of charge.
2. The service allows the recipients of the measures to feel safe in their home.
3. The service also provides the service users the opportunity to talk to Denise or the volunteers if feeling vulnerable or lonely, creating a sense of security.