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I would be lost without gateway’s support.

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Just what I needed until I got back on my feet.

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Fitness classes have been a distraction to the problems I face.

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Gateway helped give me back my independence.

Frank’s Story


Frank was an elderly gentleman referred to our organisation by the NHS for support with money management, debt problems and meal preparation. Frank lived in sheltered accommodation. Frank's housing warden Morag had raised concerns about him not eating, losing weight and isolating himself from his friends and family. Morag had informed our team that until recently Frank had been very independent and social. Frank also made regular payments to his rent. Frank also voiced his concerns to Morag that he was in rent arrears and debt and this was causing him worry. On our support workers first visit to Frank he was noted as appearing depressed this was confirmed by Morag. Frank’s appearance had changed recently. He had lost weight due to his lack of eating and had stopped washing and taking pride in himself. Although Frank had family locally they would rarely visit. His son John would visit but he needed help to sort out his father’s finances. Our Support worker provided help in arranging a regular payment plan for Franks rent arrears. After a few weeks had passed Frank gained the trust of his support worker and agreed to see a GP to address his depression. Frank was prescribed a course of anti-depressants and although the next few months were tough he persevered with his medication. It was difficult at first to get Frank to agree to take his medication regularly and it was explained to him that in order for them to work it was important that he did this. Some days just getting Frank to leave his house to go to his local shop was a big achievement but with a little prompting and encouragement this started to happen more often than not. Frank was also eating more often and this also seemed to improve his mood and general wellbeing. There was to be a tragic setback in Frank’s recovery when his son died suddenly. For a long period of time after this Franks health began to suffer and he stopped taking his medication. Frank would eat very little and would rarely leave his house. Franks personal hygiene and appearance began to be affected again and he would not engage with his support, often not answering his door. Eventually Frank was so ill he was admitted to hospital. Six weeks had passed and Frank was well enough to be discharged. Frank was week at first from his long stay in hospital but his mood had improved greatly. After a few weeks Frank felt well enough to leave the house accompanied by his support worker to go shopping. The change in Frank’s mood over the next weeks was dramatic and Frank appeared to have a new lease of life. His financial worries had disappeared as his payment plan was a success and his private pension more than covered his bills. Frank became more sociable, often visiting his friends for a pint and a chat. Between his weekly visits from his support worker he would manage his own finances and take care of his own shopping. After liaising with Frank and his housing warden it was agreed to end Franks support for the time being. Frank was happy to be independent again. Frank informed his support worker that he was very grateful for all the support that he received and said a big thank you to our organisation for all we have done.


Mike,

Support Worker

We can help you

Are you in need of:

housing support?

care at home?

temporary accommodation?

01463 718693

office@homelesstrust.org.uk




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