Stronger Together Community Stories

Can you tell us about Staywell and your role?

Staywell is a charity that's been supporting older people in Kingston for nearly 80 years. We help them ‘stay well’ in their homes and live independently with dignity and a sense of community. We offer a holistic range of services such as Help at Home, The Community Team and The Handyperson Service and our wonderful day centres in New Malden and Kingston. These services are complimented by our flexible outreach services, including social prescribing, Home From Hospital and Kingston Community Furniture.

I wear three hats at Staywell - one is Volunteer Coordinator, where I promote the volunteer service and take volunteers through the recruitment process. The second is a Home from Hospital Coordinator, working in conjunction with Kingston Hospital, helping patients prepare for discharge and providing support once they're home. The third is a Care Coordinator within the Proactive Anticipatory Care (PAC) Team. This service supports patients and carers over the age of 18 to manage their health and social care needs in collaboration with other professionals such as GPs and social services.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired you to get involved with Staywell?

Before I started working at Staywell, I was a solicitor for nearly 20 years. I decided to take a career break to have my children and wanted to give back to the community, so I reached out to Age Concern Kingston, now known as Staywell. I became a volunteer Befriender, as I've always enjoyed talking to older people - they have so much wisdom and fascinating life stories to share.

My first assignment was with a delightful 92-year-old military veteran who hoped to receive a telegram from the Queen for his 100th birthday. He wanted to publish a book, so we started putting together his stories and beautiful albums documenting his experiences.

What advice would you give someone else who wanted to get involved in the local community?

I’d encourage people to look at local charities to see how they can help or contact me if they’d like to volunteer with Staywell.

Volunteers make a real difference to the lives of people in our community. At Staywell we have so many wonderful testimonials from our clients about the positive impact volunteers have had on them.

Also for volunteers, it's a great way to maintain skills post-retirement or during a career break,  whilst making a contribution to the community.

Sign up and volunteer at Staywell.

What is your favourite or most memorable moment with Staywell?

I have so many memorable moments with Staywell, but one that stands out was one of my clients who was facing a complex situation where she had recently experienced the bereavement of her mother, which, coupled with existing mental health issues, had caused her to withdraw from any social interaction. She was also struggling financially and had limited mobility. I worked with her GP, Adult Social Care and Occupational Therapy to put some measures in place and also took her to join some social groups where she made friends.

When I followed up with her she said: “You know, Shaheena, I just want to let you know that after Staywell and the PAC Team helped me, I was in such a good place that I had the emotional confidence to go online and join a dating app. And I've actually now found the love of my life!”

A few months later, I got an email from her saying she was planning to get married!

What are you hoping to achieve next with your time at Staywell?

My goal is to continue striving to improve the lives of my local community. As a passionate Kingstonian, I'm proud of how well Staywell engages with different services within Kingston and beyond, so that we can all come together for the good of our vulnerable residents.