Irene’s confidence soars thanks to the CAPA Programme
Irene Begley (63) has a new lease of life and is more confident, mobile and sociable thanks to the CAPA Programme.
Irene moved into Seafield House, a Riverclyde Homes sheltered housing complex in Greenock in February 2018 with her husband, Kevin. They moved into supported accommodation because their family home had two sets of stairs which Irene couldn’t manage. As time went on, Irene had become housebound and eventually lost her ability to walk.
Warden, David McIntyre spent time getting to know Irene and they quickly struck up a good relationship. He realised that Irene lacked confidence and didn’t feel comfortable socialising. David discovered that walking and getting out in the fresh air was something that was really important to Irene. However she needed to build up her strength in other ways before she could do that.
David wanted to motivate Irene to move more and increase her confidence so together they began to look at ways to do this in ways that were meaningful to her.
By her own admission, Irene was ‘not a bingo person’. But David thought that if Irene came along to a couple of sessions it would help her to get to know people that lived in the complex. Irene really enjoyed the sessions and began to feel more confident to take part in other activities, including the local Sheltered Housing Forum and the weekly coffee morning – which she now attends regularly.
Once Irene’s mobility began to improve, David supported Irene to go for a walk outside and they began to do this regularly.
Irene said: “I feel more settled since we moved into Seafield House. It’s definitely given me a new lease of life. I have made new friends and have more opportunities to get outside and exercise. My husband and I hope to book a cruise at the end of the year because I know I can manage to get around myself and we can leave our home knowing that it’ll be safe and secure.”
David added: “I’ve noticed that Irene is more confident and communicates much more than when I first met her. Her motivation and willingness to participate is much more evident now. It’s great to see.”
Irene is now able to walk along Greenock Esplanade and hopes to link up with other tenants from other sheltered housing complexes in the area so that they can all go walking together.