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"A flexible, person-centred approach"

About: Addiction services / Community Alcohol and Drugs Services Older People’s Mental Health and Memory Service / Northern Sector

(as a relative),

My mother was referred to Evelyn in the older peoples team in the WHSCT in 2020 for support regarding alcohol misuse and she continues to avail of that service. Since that time Evelyn has helped her turn her life around.

She provided 1-1 support for her at a time when things were incredibly difficult for her in her life. She helped her understand the reasons she misused alcohol and educated her around self esteem, grief, mental health, sleep hygiene , positive coping strategies, healthy boundaries , relapse prevention and much more. Evelyn got her engaged in local community supports to reduce isolation and helped my mother avail of peer support. She has established loving friendships through this and it has been a big aspect of her recovery. She has always taken a flexible , person centred approach and actively engaged her in the service.

In recent months my mother engaged in the memory assessment service within the older people’s team and received a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Evelyn provided my mother with 1-1 support following this diagnosis to help her process her thoughts and feelings around this and signposted her to relevant supports. I would like to thank her for all her support and intervention and wish her all the best. The continuity of care my mother received with Evelyn is unusual in today’s current services and input with my mother was invaluable, she will be forever grateful.

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Responses

Response from Isobel McDowell, Western Health and Social Care Trust last week
Isobel McDowell
Western Health and Social Care Trust
Submitted on 21/05/2024 at 13:04
Published on Care Opinion at 13:28


My Name is Isobel McDowell and I am the Assistant Team Manager in the Community Mental Health Team for Older People.

Thank you sincerely for taking the time to share this positive and meaningful feedback.

I am so glad to hear the benefit your mother had from working with Evelyn and the positive impact this had on her recovery. The support Evelyn provides in the Drug and Alcohol Service for Older Adults is tailored to each individual and involves education, support, therapeutic intervention and signposting.

In addition, I am pleased to hear the support Evelyn provided following your mother’s memory assessment and diagnosis has provided continuity of care during a difficult process. Receiving a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease can be distressing and I am happy to hear the one to one support Evelyn provided to help your mother process her thoughts and feelings around the diagnosis has been invaluable to her.

The Community Mental Health Team always strive to provide high quality person-centred care, acknowledging the uniqueness of each individual and their holistic needs. The importance of supporting families and carers is also a priority to our team.

Feedback is welcomed to ensure safe, effective and compassionate care is delivered to a high standard. Evelyn will be delighted to hear this wonderful feedback which acknowledges her dedication to the care and support she provides. Her person-centred approach has clearly made an invaluable difference to your mother and we are grateful and appreciate you taking the time to share your positive experience of our service.

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