Eden Independent Living services launched
Published by Tracey Errington for Eden Housing Association Limited in Health and also in Communities, Environment, Housing
Eden Independent Living launch
Eden Independent Living - a new Eden scheme that supports independence at home was launched on Monday 25th June, and guests celebrated with a vintage afternoon tea party. Designed to bring a range of support services together under one umbrella, Eden Independent Living (EIL) is a local partnership that builds on existing support services from Eden Housing Association and care services from Eden Country Care Ltd. Their goal is to provide support and reassurance to help people maintain their independent lifestyle at home.
Designed to be a one-stop-shop for support services in Eden, the scheme provides flexible support and care packages for wide ranging needs – whatever the age or disability. The EIL team works work with local suppliers rather than relying on call centres out of the county. Carlisle based Riverside Careline provides the care alarm service with an Emergency Response Service from 360 degree Heath Care.
In developing the scheme, the EIL research identified home and garden maintenance as another key issue for residents and as a result, they have introduced a Handy Person Service which has been contracted to Darren Wright from One Call Services, an established maintenance company in Penrith.
Carolyn Greenhalgh, Assistant Director, Housing and Support at Eden Housing Association said “Recent changes to the way support services is funded created an opportunity for us to work more closely with local organisations to deliver what our tenants and residents told us they wanted – one point of contact for a reliable local support service. Eden Independent Living does just that – it also opens the service up to anyone in Eden who needs support to stay independent at home.
Offering one point of contact for a range of support needs means we can signpost to other organisations in the area and work together to ensure Eden residents remain as independent as possible.”
Care Manager and Director at Eden Country Care Ltd Heather Tarney said “The service will have a much wider appeal to families who are concerned about the welfare of their elderly relatives living in Eden and who are looking for a seamless service that will respond appropriately to their concerns without overwhelming their relatives with care visits. We see this as a preventative service that can provide a light touch support to avert a potential future crisis”.
Guests invited to the vintage tea party included some of those already receiving care and support from the scheme and Jenny Everingham, Housing and Support Team Leader at Eden Housing Association was keen to thank residents and customers for their involvement “your help in shaping this new service has been invaluable will. You gave us the first ideas of what services were missing locally and how best we could fill the gaps, it made a big difference in developing the service we launched today.”
Will Marsden, 29 has help getting ready in the morning and at night and asks for extra help when going shopping or out and about, “I can drive myself, but I need help getting my wheelchair in and out of the car. Having a service that I can call on to go shopping or to the gym gives me a real sense of freedom. Help in the morning also means I have more energy to work and make the most of the day – it also means I lead a pretty normal, active and independent lifestyle.”
Whilst the scheme only launches this week, the EIL team has already had a number of enquiries and they are prepared for a very busy few months ahead. Anyone interested in finding out more about Eden Independent Living can visit www.edenindependentliving.org.uk or call the EIL team on 01768 861 468
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