Services:

• Enliven
• Family Works
• Real People
• Cranford Hospice

Presbyterian Support East Coast has a new focus for its services for older people and already it's having benefits for the region's elderly. Enliven, a restorative home-based support programme, is allowing elderly people to remain in their homes and stem pressure on rest homes to accommodate a burgeoning elderly population. The makeup of our population in Hawke's Bay is changing, the number of people over 85 years is increasing four percent every year and by 2011 the number of people over 85 living in Hawke's Bay is expected to increase to 3132, from 2105 in 2001.

Lorna Cowan, Presbyterian Support's General Manager of Enliven Positive Ageing Service People, said Enliven was  based on viewing aging as ``a natural and good thing''.``It supports older people to have choices, achieve their aims and encourages the community to embrace the challenges of the aging population,'' Mrs Cowan said. At the moment it's a pilot scheme funded for two years by the Hawke's Bay District Health Board for older people assessed as being in need of rest home care but choosing to remain at home. But there are no fixed menu of services with staff assessing when they first meet their clients what they need to stay active and independent in their own home. Often it involves physiotherapy and supporting clients to meet goals that increase their socialization and improve their ability to participate in every day activities. Enliven has worked with more than 65  clients since it was launched in April …. 06 . We plan over the next 12 months is to raise this number to more than 250 acroos our services.. Enliven is commited to providing innovative services and programmes inour regions. Our team is growing with three new staff  appointed as the vanguard of our service delivery.

The quality of life for Enliven's 50 clients is already improving. Some have improved so dramatically they have been assessed as no longer needing any home support and been discharged from the programme. ``Without this service these clients may have remained permanently in rest home care,'' Mrs Cowan said. There are also plans to extend Enliven to help newly alone men who lack basic housekeeping skills.``Not having had to cook for themselves they often struggle just to find their way around a pantry filled with ingredients which are foreign to them,'' Mrs Cowan said. Cooking classes are to be established, with the added aim of providing a social scene. Spouses are also benefiting from Enliven sharing the care with a key support worker means they can stay involved with friends and activities that are important to them..

 “We have a fantastic restorative day programme operating in Hastings and Taradale and a new Caring for Carers group is also about to commence in Napier. Amongst other things spouses will be taught how to safely move their partner around the home as well as be given mutual support.

A study conducted by the Auckland University for the Ministry of Health has found older people enrolled in restorative home based support services like Enliven live 28 percent longer. 

 

After breaking his hip in a late night fall 74-year-old Taradale retiree Colin Stansfield was told he would never walk again and his wife Jan was advised to put him in a rest home. A former policeman and draftsman and keen sportsman, being active had always been important to Colin and Jan refused to give him up to fulltime care. ``I said I would not have him in a rest home. I wouldn't accept that,'' Jan said. So Colin and Jan were approached by Presbyterian Support to be part of their pilot scheme Enliven and slowly but surely Colin's health is being restored. When Cathy Keith first started as Colin's key support worker she was showering him and helping him walk to the letterbox.

``I was in a bad way for awhile,'' Colin said. Now with the help of exercises he can get about without a walker, sometimes making it around the block, and Cathy only has to be on hand ``just in case''. Born in OngaOnga, Colin trained as a draftsman and worked on the Tuai power scheme before serving in Korea. He returned and joined the police having been awarded the Minister's prize at police training school.

Work as a detective followed, although he jokes he would rather not have that printed with all the other media attention surrounding the police force at the moment. Colin and Jan were married in Napier and he worked for the next 30 years as the Chief Building Inspector for the Hawke's Bay Council. Jan believes being able to return home after his hospital stay helped Colin recuperate - with all his own things around him and friends able to visit. ``I can't speak highly enough of Enliven. They have been absolutely wonderful. Colin's not even rest home material anymore,'' Jan said.