The Challenge
A lady in her 60s had been supported by Garforth NET and referred to us by a member of the team for a falls assessment. She was found to be active and healthy so the support worker that came out left her with the contact details in case she needed to reach out for support in the future. A couple of months later, she phoned the support worker to report a hip fracture through a fall and had just been discharged from hospital without much support. She was particularly struggling with bathing and did not know who to contact.
The Solution
The support worker carried out a visit and found her to be far less confident and afraid to be left alone in case of another fall. A referral was made to the community falls service and a physio visited within a week to organise a home exercise programme that improved her strength, balance and confidence. A referral to Adult Social Care led to a metal rail being fitted to the front path. A bath board from Care & Repair meant that she could comfortably use the shower-over-bath again.