2022-12-02 11:06:29
Care and support team win award for helping adults with learning disabilities during the pandemic
A care and support team from Sheffield has won a national award in recognition of their work with two people with complex learning disabilities and health needs during the Covid pandemic.
Craig Mitchell, Tracy Redford, Julie Munro, Karen Francis and Gemma Crofts, from national learning disability charity Hft, picked up the “Best Life Possible Award” during an Hftea party held in Thirsk to celebrate the charity’s 60th anniversary this month.
As both adults the team cares for are extremely vulnerable, Covid had a massive impact on their lives and literally rendered them housebound. The five care workers were instrumental in keeping both of them entertained at home and ensured as much family contact as possible via Teams and FaceTime.
One of the people Hft supports, Will, has several health issues while the other person, Jenny, became increasingly moody as her activities at home were so restricted. The team managed Will’s sickness periods at home to ensure he didn’t have to be admitted to hospital frequently.
He was also unable to attend hydrotherapy and rebound sessions, so Craig and his team involved health professionals, researching hydrotherapy pools and rebound places, visiting potential venues and risk assessing the venues to ensure they were suitable to cater for the person’s needs.
In addition, Karen and Gemma spent a lot of time working with Jenny’s mum to introduce one activity at a time – they organised personal training sessions at Jenny’s home, and this eventually led to her attending her gym with support three times a week, going shopping and then attending her music group sessions weekly.
Both Jenny and Will have benefitted from being able to access the community and attend their activities and are much happier now that they are busy and getting out and about.
Craig says: “Team LNA would like to express our thanks to Hft’s Philippa Millsom, who nominated us. It shows great appreciation for the work we do with the people we support. To us, it’s our daily duty, but to be recognised with this award makes us very happy and proud.”
Want to read more inspirational stories and memories from 60 years of Hft? Click here.
Notes to editors
For further information please email media.enquiries@hft.org.uk
About Hft
Proudly established in 1962 by a group of visionary parents, Hft is a charity supporting more than 2,500 learning disabled adults in England and Wales. Together, we are creating a future where learning disabled people and their families can live the best life possible.
Providing personalised support. Creating solutions for living independently. Coming together to campaign for positive change. Fundraising for new opportunities and a bigger impact.
In 2033, we’ll live in a world where learning disabled people have greater choice. About where they live. The support they need and want. And how to spend their time and money.
Learning disability versus difficulty
A learning disability is different from a learning difficulty but the terms are often confused and used inter-changeably. A learning difficulty does not affect general intellect, whereas a learning disability is a life-long condition characterised by a reduced intellectual ability and struggle with everyday activities.
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For more information about Hft please visit www.hft.org.uk
