'Overwhelming commitment' as PPP keeps up its care service
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PULTENEYTOWN People's Project (PPP) has risen to the challenge arising from the coronavirus crisis and is continuing to provide around 400 hours of support weekly for the elderly in their own homes.
Members of the Care at Home team based at the Pulteney Centre in Huddart Street, Wick, have had to adapt their service in order to cope. To provide back-up for the Care at Home team, four of PPP's childcare workers were retrained to give support.
PPP chief executive officer Katrina MacNab explained: "It has been challenging making sure we have a robust contingency plan to cover anticipated staff isolation, and ensuring we are providing a safe working environment for our staff. That really was an overwhelming commitment to the organisation, to make sure we could cope in a crisis.
"The continuing issue of getting PPE [personal protective equipment] has been time-consuming on a daily basis and we are really grateful for the masks that Chris Aitken and Saulius Kazakauskas have made for the team."
Mrs MacNab added: "Our social care team have had to be innovative to deliver a service to vulnerable people in the community who need additional support.
"Staff have been going out for walks with them near their homes, and have made this interesting by having scavenger hunts or walking to local hotspots and learning about that area.
"They have made up activity diaries to provide a fun task every day – such as planting herbs, painting a tile, spending time in their garden or making up a song playlist – to keep everyone occupied, and record the time spent in lockdown."
The centre's employability coordinator, Heather Harper has continued each week to help over 20 young people suffering with anxiety and supporting them to keep upbeat by offering courses, Zoom video meetings and workbooks, along with daily calls.
Health coordinator Carlene Rosie has been given the daily task of keeping in touch with members of PPP's elderly groups to make sure they are coping. The centre has had a lot of referrals added to the list recently by local people seeking the reassurance of a regular call checking they are up and well.
The health coordinator has also been keeping in touch with members from her own groups whom she supports with addictions and anxiety. For many who relied on the support offered by the group sessions, this continued contact during lockdown is very important.
PPP has also put together boxes for children which contain the basics to provide fun activities in the home.
Among the items in the boxes are paints, colouring-in pens, scissors, glue, card, scrapbooks and baking equipment. Forty boxes are to go out in the first week, with another 40 the next.
Members of the childcare team are busy working along with volunteers to put together a workbook of activities promoting learning through play.
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