Anne Walker: A Day in the Life of a Stoll Scheme Coordinator
As we celebrate ‘Starts At Home’ Day this Friday, celebrating supported housing across the country and the positive impact it has on thousands of lives, we take a look at the work carried out by Stoll’s support team. Here, Stoll’s Scheme Coordinator at Centenary Lodge, Anne Walker, talks about a typical day supporting tenants at our Aldershot scheme.
The role of a Stoll scheme coordinator is a varied one, which makes my work life interesting. My role facilities independence and encourages residents to be more resilient.
My favourite day is a Friday, as this is when I have most interaction with the residents, and it has a good community feel to it.
A recent Friday consisted of me supporting a resident in her own home with a PIP (Personal Independence Payment) assessment, which can be very daunting. Just me being there enabled the resident to feel less nervous and able to answer the plethora of questions needed to complete the form.
Late morning consisted of the relaxation group in the Centenary Lodge Lounge which I like to attend. Sometimes I take the group and do some guided imagery, which can be anything from going on an old steam train to being on a beach. However, over the months I have encouraged the residents to take the lead and choose the music and script. I feel that this works better as it is empowering the residents, and means that if I am on training or a day off the group will still go ahead. I get a lot out of attending the group as well, as I feel that not only do I feel very relaxed but it’s also a means to bond with my residents out of an office setting.
In the afternoon we had our weekly coffee afternoon in the lounge, which has developed over the year. At first it was just Stoll staff who organised it and bought all the food, but now I have a couple of residents who have taken this on. This again means that it is fostering independence, as if staff are not there then the coffee afternoon still goes ahead. I have noticed that people now bring things or bake cakes or even cottage pies.
I make sure I attend the coffee afternoons too, as it is also a good way to learn more about my residents and see how they are doing in an informal setting. Following the coffee afternoon I will be back in the office, finishing up with admin tasks and answering emails.
What I have learnt in my role at Centenary Lodge is that the residents are creating a community which is ever growing and developing, which fits well into the scheme being part of the Veterans’ Pathway, a process developed to help vulnerable veterans transition from supported housing to more independent living.