Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) residents living in a Housing with Support scheme in Estover have completed a free four-week health and wellbeing programme delivered by Livewell Southwest.
In August 2022 PCH and Livewell Southwest commissioned a joint project in order to address the differences in local health inequalities and improve the quality of life for PCH residents, so they can live independently for longer in their own homes.
As a result of the partnership, PCH has been able to offer Housing with Support residents living in Estover the opportunity to have the One You programme delivered at their residential scheme every week for a month.
The course was delivered by highly skilled health coaches who worked with the residents to create healthy lifestyle goals, as well as to explore ways they could become more active, and offer advice on how to eat well and ways to support their mental wellbeing.
The group programme consisted of an initial 1-1 assessment over the phone, four weekly group classes and a final 1-1 follow-up by phone. The weekly group classes covered an introduction to the programme, and over the next three weeks they discussed nutrition, mental wellbeing amongst other topics.
Our Housing with Support schemes provide our residents with a supportive and comfortable environment that enables independent living. The Estover scheme has 33 flats and there are regular social activities organised by the residents for everyone to enjoy, making full use of the communal lounge and kitchen where the One You programme was delivered.
Residents who took part were all extremely interested in the information and helpful tips that were given by the health coaches and Rachael Fox, the Partnership Project Manager at PCH and Livewell Southwest, who helped to deliver the programme.
Rachael said: “The course was a big success. All the residents clearly enjoyed the group discussions, and it was great to hear them sharing the positive changes they had started to make as a result. We collected really good feedback from residents who attended, and it will help us plan for how we can deliver this course to more residents in future.”
Shirley and Jeff Lloyd, residents at the Estover scheme, couldn’t speak highly enough about the programme and said nothing was too much trouble for the staff who were leading it.
Shirley said: “The whole programme was very informative, and it was great to recap information from a course that we have previously attended.
“After talking about certain plates to help with our portion sizes, I have gone and purchased two for Jeff and I and they are helping very much.
“We think the partnership between Plymouth Community Homes and Livewell Southwest is great, and we feel lucky to have had the opportunity to take part in this programme.”
The residents also shared their ideas about what other events, groups, and courses they feel would benefit residents, and Rachael Fox has taken the feedback away to review and help plan for the future of the partnership.
