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A week in the life of… a scheme services co-ordinator
Hannah Seal, a scheme services co-ordinator at Southern 360, discusses her week working with vulnerable residents who have been finding life difficult during lockdown
Monday
Monday is always challenging. I called most of my 47 residents, caught up on their weekends and checked if they need anything such as shopping or medication. I checked that their flats and facilities were in good order and if there was anything I could do to help.
Loneliness and boredom have become a huge issue as a large percentage of sheltered residents have been classed as vulnerable during lockdown. This has manifested itself in several ways, with increased tensions between residents where some are not following government guidelines.
An increase in complaints of anti-social behaviour, anxiety and depression is concerning, and some residents have been feeling unable to go on. Sometimes these chats can be absolutely exhausting.
Tuesday
Trying to make calls while being followed around by my youngest can be a challenge. She has recently learned to crawl, pull herself up and is now taking her first tentative steps. Her nursery closed at the beginning of lockdown and she has not yet been able to return.
I received a call from the community mental health team who asked me to help encourage a resident with ongoing mental health problems to go back into hospital for treatment. Unfortunately, even after much cajoling, the resident refused treatment.
I then witnessed the paperwork being issued to request a warrant to bring them into hospital. I will go in later in the week to meet the police, paramedics and mental health team to give them access to the flat without causing more distress.
Wednesday
Wednesday is usually coffee morning, but we haven’t been able to do this during lockdown. I take extra time with my coffee regulars on a Wednesday, reminiscing and planning imaginary future events.
A resident’s personal assistant called me as he no longer wants to work with him. This is disappointing as the resident is vulnerable and self-neglects to an upsetting degree. I made sure to initiate a safeguarding referral.
Thursday
I have had many complaints about a group of residents who have not been following government guidelines, having drinks and gatherings every evening. I have had several difficult conversations trying to encourage them to respect their neighbours and the guidelines.
To combat the boredom that breeds complaints and anxiety, I have set up a table in the lounge with books, puzzles and magazines. Many of these were donated after a Facebook campaign. I collected items from doorsteps, wiped them down with anti-bac wipes and delivered them to the scheme.
Friday
I carried out all the essential fire checks, and health and safety checks, and caught up with residents who don’t have phones.
I followed up a rent arrears enquiry with one of these residents. Outside the flat, I liaised with the rent team on his behalf with my phone on speaker to adhere to social distancing. We arranged a payment plan which ensured that he will not get himself into further problems.
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A week in the life series
Our ‘A week in the life’ series features housing professionals talking through what they do in their job on a day-to-day basis.
Find out about the different challenges housing workers in a variety of roles face in a given week.
We aim to feature staff from housing associations, ALMOs, local authorities and more.
Click here to nominate yourself or a colleague for inclusion
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