Bev became a volunteer for Salford Together after hearing about the Wellbeing Plans through a friend. Bev wanted to find out more and agreed to attend an initial training workshop which explained the purpose of Salford Together and the My Wellbeing Plan. Following this, Bev attended a further training workshop and completed a My Wellbeing Plan for herself which she found useful for thinking about her own wellbeing as a Carer.
Bev cares full-time for her husband who has dementia and is also a full-time Carer for her grandson who has mental health problems. Bev used to work as a Carer and was a team leader with experience of palliative care, and she was also a Dementia Champion and finds her knowledge and skills are useful when she is volunteering as a Wellbeing Champion.
Bev says:
“My skills are good for having conversations with people about their wellbeing.”
Bev retired 3 years ago and explains that volunteering is beneficial to her own knowledge as she can learn about changes to the health service:
“Things have changed since I retired but when I volunteer at events, such as at the hospital, I can stay up to date with what`s going on in the care sector.”
Although Bev is actually helping other people through being a Wellbeing Champion, she views her role as an activity which helps her by giving her time away from caring, but remaining active doing something she enjoys:
“It gives me me-time where I can continue to do the kind of task I enjoy. It`s given me my purpose back after retiring. I`ve got knowledge and am putting it back into use again. I feel useful and have a smile on my face when I go out the front door. I can step forward and do my bit.”
As well as volunteering as a Wellbeing Champion at Salford Royal events, Bev also volunteers as a Wellbeing Champion once a week for 2 hours at a Postural Stability class. The classes are run by Salford Community Leisure and provide seated exercises for older people who have suffered a fall. Bev meets and greets the older people who attend the class and during the refreshment break she helps them understand and complete their Wellbeing Plans. Bev especially enjoys talking to older people, and now that she is older she feels that peer support is very important. During the class, Bev joins in with the exercises as she finds this benefits her own health.
Through volunteering as a Wellbeing Champion, Bev is more and more convinced about the importance of the Wellbeing Plan. Bev uses the Wellbeing Plan to map out the next 6 months which she thinks is more manageable as someone caring for a loved one with dementia; she has also supported her husband to complete a My Wellbeing Plan and says:
“It`s a good way to see what we`ve already achieved. We can go back and check what we said we`d do.”
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