Guild Care’s Community Link Worker for older people

With the aim of improving the overall quality of life of older people, Worthing Together allocated £27,000 of West Sussex LAA Outcome 22 funding to Guild Care, to help develop the role of a community link worker.

In June 2007, Lilian started providing fifteen hours of support a week to isolated older people in the Worthing priority areas.

To find the people who needed help, Lilian has been visiting Community Centres, housing complexes, and local groups, and attending a range of events.

Over the past 18 months, nearly 100 people have been helped as a result of her work.

In some cases, all that was needed was some signposting.  For example, someone might need help to find a free dentist.

In other cases, the main priority was to help the person to access a club where they could socialise, and make new friends.

Sometimes it was necessary to seek support from various agencies or charities so that the people Lilian had reached could be helped back on their feet.

However, what was always needed, was someone who took the time to listen to the older person, and help find the appropriate support.

We can clearly say that most of the people, if not all, found the support very useful, and for many, Lilian’s visit was life changing.

One lady aged 76, said to us:  ‘ It is so good to know that some people care about me. Thanks to you I have made new friends and I feel so much more confident in life’

Another client, aged 86, said :’Before I met you, I wanted the Lord to take me;  now I am happy again’.

The LAA funding has reached its end, but Community Link Workers are now part of a bigger project,  Partnership for Older People Project (POPP).  This means that Guild Care can carry on its good work and help even more people.

Lilian is now part of the Community Partnership Team, where she can continue the good work she has done so far, and keep building on the local links she has made.