A day in the life of Dartmouth Caring

A day in the life of Dartmouth Caring

Dee Nutt gives an overview of daily life in Dartmouth Caring:

Doors open at 9.am in the small, efficient office situated opposite the Medical Practice just off Victoria Road - well placed to liaise with Doctors and get first-hand information on locals that need help.

The work of Dartmouth Caring within the last 6 months has changed, the referrals we are receiving are becoming more complex, and usually the first job of the day is to respond to the messages left overnight.

For example, a patient discharged from hospital with no support needs transport and help settling in back at home. This generally means sorting the basics like getting the heating on and shopping for food provisions.

It’s a lifeline of support when there is no-one else. More often than not there is no family nearby to help. We keep distant families informed so they know their loved ones are well supported and can continue to live in their own home with our daily help

We have an open door policy between 9 and 12midday and can have as many as 5 visits daily by those needing help to complete forms. One of the main benefits available is Attendance Allowance but the forms are very complicated and off-putting to those who are not able to comprehend the multitude of questions or even sometimes read.

Form filling has become such a needed service and we are considering designating 2 afternoons a month to this. This is a simple task for us but a major help for those who need it.

Most of the day can be taken up arranging volunteers. One of the most time consuming tasks is co-ordinating the transport. Each day we have to find up to 9 volunteer drivers to fulfil our requests.

This can be getting to and from hospital appointments which everyone knows is a trial from Dartmouth, let alone if you are unwell. For example, because we are short on volunteers, I drove a local lady to the flu clinic at Townstal from Stoke Fleming as there was nobody else available – so if there is anyone out there who can help with driving please get in touch!

We pay an allowance so drivers are not out of pocket. It was only meant to be half an hour’s job, but I ended up taking her to the Post Office as well which she had not visited for 10 months!

Being involved with DC brings home that the smallest things can make so much difference to life when you are alone. This is something we face every day in the office, as many local and vulnerable people are almost forgotten. So I am extremely grateful to those who can just give us a fraction of their time as it really can be life-enhancing.

Another function managed from the office is fundraising, that dreaded word! I am often teased for being ‘constantly’ in the local paper, but as Chairman it falls on me to keep DC in the forefront of those able to help.

We are now competing with other larger, more resourceful Charities who actually have designated fundraisers. The staff are employed and we have to maintain the office and all its associated costs. So along with the Trustees I am constantly thinking of ways to continue and develop our services. So I apologise if you get fed up with me, but I intend to be around for a bit longer!

In no time at all its 12.00 and we have to complete any outstanding requests which can mean someone still being there at 1.00pm. We never leave any requests unfulfilled. But it’s not all over even then. The staff have their list of locals needing shopping deliveries. This can take another couple of hours, driving to and from the town and then unpacking once in their home. Inevitably, there is still a cup of tea to be drunk and a welcome chat that ends the day.

 For the whole of 2008/09 we carried out 406 home visits, from April to August of this year we have already achieved 479. This work is carried out by the staff and volunteers of the charity on a daily basis and as you can see from my examples above, it is vital for our locals if they wish to remain independent, and able to living in their own home.

All of this work is free of charge at the point of delivery but obviously incurs a huge cost to the charity as we are totally dependant upon donations from the community to continue our work.

I believe that without the immense contribution that DC makes, many local folk would no longer be living in the comfort and security of their own home in the knowledge that they are not alone.

First published November 2009 By the Dart

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