A council occupational therapist referred Mrs P to a community coordinator to deal with her isolation. In a long phone interview, it became clear that Mrs P had very swollen feet which saw her only able to wear slippers or walk barefoot. This would prevent her visiting groups in the community. For instance, to deal with her lymphedema and arthritis she wanted to visit the Lyndsey Leg Club, but couldn’t. Mrs P had ordered extra wide fit shoes online before, yet now, nothing was suitable. She noted a neighbour had to collect shopping for her, as the last time she left the house her slippers were wet through due to heavy rain.

The coordinator referred Mrs P to the British Red Cross project ‘positive steps’. Also the coordinator explained the situation to the British Red Cross, and she contacted other health professionals as well as the podiatry clinic. The latter provided suitable online and local mobility shops that specialised in the correct footwear. The Positive Steps Team planned to take her to have her feet measured and to purchase shoes.

When the coordinator rang Mrs P for an update, she started to cry and said,

“I can’t believe you have gone out of your way to find someone to help me buy shoes.”

The coordinator explained that the barriers we see daily are usually transport, poor mobility or mental health. If someone doesn’t have a pair of shoes to engage in a group, coordinators would try their best to solve the issue, and the plan implemented with Positive Steps gave her a new lease of life.

Contact a community coordinator for support

Our team of community coordinators work throughout RCT. If you’re over fifty, see what they can do for you via the contact details below.

Taff Ely: Karen Powell
Email: kpowell@interlinkrct.org.uk
Mobile: 07580 869970

Rhondda: Lucy Foster
Email: lfoster@interlinkrct.org.uk
Mobile: 07580 865938

Cynon: Deanne Rebane
Email: deanne.rebane@vamt.net
Mobile: 07580 869983

Merthyr Tydfil: Claire Williams
Email: claire.williams@vamt.net
Mobile: 07580 866547

Image credit: “Slippers” by sk8geek is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit Creative Commons.