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Social connection through COVID

Summary

During the COVID pandemic the Macedon Ranges Shire Council Council expanded the social support individual- tele/web program, Social Support Individual. It is a Commonwealth Home Support Programme service where we offer a regular telephone call to older people who have chose to receive one rather than have someone visit them in their home.

Working with the older population, the Council recognised how isolating the pandemic was and the effect it was having on our clients. We made our social calls available to all clients who wished to receive one while they were unable to see family and friends, be out in the community, or have their regular social support workers in their homes.

Key facts

Main target group: Older people in general

Other target group(s): Macedon Ranges Shire Council clients

Sector(s): Health, Information and communication

Desired outcome for older people:
Meet their basic needs

Other issues the Age-friendly practice aims to address:
  • Ageing in place
  • Disasters and emergencies
  • Healthy behaviours (e.g. physical activity)
  • Inclusion
  • Participation

Contact details

Name: Naomi Scrivener

Email address: nscrivener@mrsc.vic.gov.au

Age-friendly practice in detail (click to expand):

Engaging the wider community

Project lead: Other

Other project lead: Macedon Ranges Shire Council

How collaboration worked: The Council is funded to deliver Social Support Individual as part of the Australian Government’s Commonwealth Home Support Programme.

Older people’s involvement: Older people were not directly involved

Details on older people’s involvement: Older people were the recipients of this service. Individuals were able to opt in to receive a phone call during the COVID lockdowns and moving forward if they wished.

Moving forward

Has the impact of this age-friendly practice been analysed: No

Do you plan to evaluate your age-friendly practice? Yes

Feedback:
Positive feedback was received on a regular basis throughout the running of this program, particularly during COVID lockdowns. Individuals were grateful for the social connection this program offered them, while so much had been limited. Call recipients appreciated the friendly conversation, updated information and often a small amount of time to vent their frustrations.

Expansion plans:
We have not expanded the project; however, we are still running it. Post pandemic we had many individuals who wish to continue to receive a phone call from one of our friendly volunteers.

Looking back

Reflections:
This was a great project to implement for a vulnerable population group, made even more vulnerable by the pandemic. Call recipients were genuinely grateful for the social connection this project allowed them.

Challenges:
Request for information – with the plethora of information that was floating around in the initial stages of the pandemic, older people found it hard to keep up and were often confused by the conflicting information they were receiving. This meant that we were often the first point of call when it came to questions in relation to restrictions and lockdown guidelines. We addressed this by using ‘frequently asked questions’ to provide accurate information, and where we weren’t sure directing them to the correct channels. Difficult conversations – The pandemic was a very hard time for many older people, the lack of social connection and ability to see family and friends made it especially difficult. Throughout the pandemic, some phone calls were challenging as individuals were genuinely struggling due to isolation and loneliness. The programs phone calls were often an outlet for people, and resulted in some challenging conversations. Where appropriate, when someone was particularly concerned for an individual we would make follow up phone calls. We would also make Support Plan Reviews when there were other services identified to assist the individual.