Older People’s Day: Celebrating the benefits health and wellbeing brings to our customers

As we celebrate Older People’s Day 2017 Kelli Melloy, Riverside’s National Health and Wellbeing Manager, explains the benefits that our Health and Wellbeing service brings to the lives of Riverside’s Retirement Living customers across the country.

Get fit at Retirement Living services
Residents at Joseph Williams Mews in Liverpool at an art class organised by the Health & Wellbeing team.

 

Riverside’s Health and Wellbeing service was launched in May to deliver a range of initiatives across our retirement living schemes to benefit our customers. The aim of the service is to support them so they live longer and live life to the full.

We have developed a 12-month rolling campaign of themed initiatives including access to Health & Wellbeing resources, dementia friendly programme of events, health pathways through nutrition advice, preventing falls, befriending and reducing isolation, and to create some fun along the way.

In just four months we have achieved amazing results:

  • Over 5,000 customers have attended a broad variety of initiatives across the country – from Carlisle to Kent and Hull to Liverpool.
  • 300 external organisations have visited our schemes nationally.
  • We’ve partnered with 25 organisations including Chester Zoo, Health Watch England, Prostate UK and The Stroke Association to roll out events and activities in schemes.
  • In June we had 108 events across the country taking part in the Big Lunch.

In addition 50% of our schemes have received activity sessions by consumer champions Health Watch England! Our customers are helping to shape health and social care delivery, and influence the services they receive personally.

We continually look to build upon the amazing progress made in only four months, and will carry on providing tailored initiatives in all schemes that our customers request.

Next year, we plan to expand the Health and Wellbeing service by launching our volunteer programme where customers can get involved to help others, and organise initiatives in our schemes.

If you are interested in volunteering please speak to your scheme staff or contact us. Full training and support will be given.