Neighbourly help from caring team

Neighbours, the song goes, everybody needs good neighbours . . . and that’s what an Oldham Council service provides for people who might get stuck at home without friends or help.

There are 13 Neighbourhood Access and Prevention Officers (NAPO), who aim to keep people in their own homes and stop them deteriorating to the point where they need intensive council care.

Janice Barker chatted to a lively group of older people who are NAPO supporters, at a Fitton Hill community centre.

Older people often need a little bit of help with simple things that younger people take for granted.

Being able to contact BT to explain a telephone problem might be easy if you’re 19, but daunting if you are 90 and not up to date with the latest technology.

But when 90-year-old Betty Wilson had a phone fault she knew who to turn to — her neighbourhood access and prevention officer, Maria.

And it’s not the first time she’s been able to help. Maria also went along with Betty for a doctor’s appointment, when Betty felt she could not explain all her symptoms properly to her GP.

Betty said: “I am a very independent person, and I do have a very good niece and nephew, but they live in Bury. I know I can phone Maria and she will be there to help.

“I feel very comfortable with her and she has been a great help.”

Over 50s across Oldham can get help from the neighbourhood officers.

Each area in Oldham has an officer who aims to assist adults to maintain their independence, find services to help them in their home, and improve their quality of life.

There are also neighbourhood officers who work specifically with the Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian, Polish, Ukrainian and Afro-Caribbean communities, and the team speak a wide range of languages — 16 in total.

They can provide information and advice on local services, and social and leisure activities in the area, as well as arranging services including shopping, cleaning, transport, health checks and aids to use around the home, energy saving schemes and benefits checks.

Based at Meadowbank, in Tweedale Way, Hollinwood, there are 13 NAPOs, six covering the area committee regions in Oldham, and seven working mainly with Oldham’s diverse communities.

People can refer themselves to the service, but contact is also via word of mouth, from people already in contact with an officer, or from one of the groups the officers keep in touch with.

The Skills Swop Shop group of over 50s meets weekly at a community room in Fitton Hill, near the Villages Housing Association offices.

It is just the sort of group Maria keeps in touch with to find out if anyone needs her help.

Older people get together to teach each other knitting, sewing, crocheting, gardening and dancing, and also meet regularly with a youth group from the estate.

The inter-generational mixing has been a boon for both age groups — the youngsters have gone out with their senior friends on trips, and the also learned skills like baking from them.

Dorothy Shaw (63) is one of the newest members, and said: “I never knew of the group until I heard about it from Maria, now I’ve made new friends and enjoy the friendship and company.”

Pat Bostock (62) added: “Maria has been brilliant. I have had cancer and she has helped me going to hospital, and with the doctors and nurses.

“I would have struggled without her. I’ve been coming here for three years in June and recommended other people to Maria.

“If she finds anyone is struggling she goes and offers help.”

Maria has helped to arrange awareness session on bogus callers, and also into diabetes. And the service also gives talks to groups and social clubs, as well as making links through community health workers and care workers.

The NAPO team leader, Cathy Jackson, explained that the service is aimed at people with low to moderate needs.

Currently the council’s social services for older people are aimed at those with substantial or critical needs, but people needing help with everyday tasks like gardening or shopping may start to deteriorate and fall into the substantial or critical categories without help.

Maria explained how a simple problem can lead to a depressive illness: “An overgrown garden can impact on someone’s emotional well being.

“There is a handyman service offered by Age Concern Oldham, probably one of the best preventive services we have, which we can recommend.

“All research shows that people want to stay independent and in their own home. That is when we can help them.

“One lady I have been working with over several months has started to use leisure activities and met people she knew but had lost contact with. She is now joining more groups.”

Cathy added: “The focus is on prevention. The team aims to provide support to individuals much earlier, to help prevent a crisis, assist individuals to build networks of support, and therefore ultimately reduce the demand on services in the future.”

For more information contact 0161-770 1515.