A Community Nurse has won a prestigious national award to find the most innovative ways of promoting health and independence amongst older people.
Diane Singleton, Lead Nurse for Older People for Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust, has beaten off competition from across the UK to claim the Nursing Times Award.
Diane was chosen for her work in setting up the multi-award winning Liveability Service in South Liverpool.
She created the innovative scheme to promote the health and quality of life of older people, so that they could live healthy, more active and independent lives for longer.
The service’s success is in reducing isolation and ill health, reducing the need for costly NHS and social care interventions.
Diane said: “The standard of the competition was extremely high, so I am over the moon that we won. But the real reward is in seeing the benefits that we give to our clients, who often quite literally find a new lease of life when they start to access our service.
“We have a two- pronged approach to service delivery. The first includes the many activities we provide within the Sunflower Centre in Woolton such as Tai Chi, dancing, chair-based exercises and our daily gym fit sessions in our own gym specifically tailored for older people.
"The second involves our holistic home assessments where a member of the team will visit an older person at home.”
The assessment involves routine health screening, consisting of blood pressure check, height, weight, BMI and medication review. Checks are also made on whether the older person is receiving all the benefits they are entitled to, have smoke detectors fitted, and are safe from environmental risks within the home which could lead to falls and accidents.
The service also provides a six-week Active Ageing Programme. Once registered, older people can attend seminars and hear up-to-date information from health professionals and colleagues from other services dealing with older people.
Working in partnership with local schools, this is an accredited intergenerational programme which involves young people in its delivery. By bringing together young and old, the scheme encourages younger people to better understand older people’s needs and vice versa.
Harvey Winter, 77, from Woolton, has been a regular at the Sunflower Centre for over a year.
He says: “My wife started attending the Sunflower Centre before I did and convinced me to go along to see if the fitness classes would help me with my arthritis.
“I loved it – I come away from my circuit class feeling elated and it really benefits my legs.
"I’d urge anyone over the age of 50 to go along and see what’s on offer – it just might change your life.”
Bernie Cuthel, Acting Chief Executive of Liverpool Community Health said: “We are very proud of Diane and all that she achieved and are delighted that her work has been recognised at such a prestigious level.”
Post a comment