UP FRONT: FUTURE EALING
‘I can still live
independently’
“I would have died if my social worker
hadn’t found me the last time,” said
Francis O’Reilly*, who lived alone until
a year ago when undiagnosed anaemia
caught him out. Thanks to the council
he now lives in a sheltered home
with support on-site if he needs it.
M
ore than 7,000 adults receive
some form of ongoing support
or care from Ealing Council,
Deborah Dickey reports,
with many more in touch from time to
time when they need a bit of advice,
information, equipment or support.
As part of its Future Ealing
programme, the council has developed a
new approach to adult social care called
Better Lives, with a focus on keeping
residents physically and mentally healthy,
active and independent. It is being
implemented over a three-year period
and will also involve the NHS, social care
providers and community groups.
6
‘I CAN STILL LIVE INDEPENDENTLY’
Francis, 62, had a range of health
issues and had fallen at home
several times. When his social
worker Joana found him the last
time, he was seriously unwell and
diagnosed with anaemia. A new
Better Lives assessment was used to review Francis’s
circumstances. It
focused on what was
most important to him,
which was living in his own
home and having the freedom
to live independently. He found
the prospect of a nursing home
too restrictive and ‘controlled’
but his illnesses meant he could
no longer remain in his house.
So, after a spell of
rehabilitation in a nursing home,
Francis was helped by social
services to move into sheltered
accommodation where he has his
own self-contained flat with an
on-site warden.
Francis continued: “I can come
and go any time that I like and
there’s a warden in case I need
any help quickly. It’s nice to know
that even though I have all these
things wrong with me, I can still
live independently.”
ealing February 2018
around ealing *Picture is of a model
‘RIGHT SERVICES AT THE
RIGHT TIME’
Councillor Hitesh Tailor, cabinet member
for health and adult services, said: “The
idea of Better Lives is to make sure
people get the right services at the right
time, and build personalised services
around the needs of the cared-for and
the carers. A key aim is to help make
community groups and services better
connected, including with council
departments, to help people to stay
healthy, active and independent. This
early intervention also helps reduce the
need for more costly care later on, which
is good for all council tax payers.”