Award for graduate who helped vulnerable people
Tuesday 25 July 2017
A GRADUATE who worked with the fire service to help protect vulnerable people has earned an award.
Kim Walesby, who graduated with a first
class degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Salford last week,
has been named student of the year at the Chief Allied Health Professional
Awards for her work with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.
Kim, from Heywood, spent six weeks taking
part in visits to the homes of people who had been identified as vulnerable by
health or social services departments, such as people with dementia or other
mental health issues, as well as the homes of people who had requested visits.
These visits were begun by Greater
Manchester Fire Service in 2015 to help take pressure off other services and
improve people’s safety, health and wellbeing.
Kim, aged 30, would use her occupational
therapy training to carry out assessments of homes she visited around Rochdale,
Bury and Oldham.
Working with fire service officers, Kim
looked out for risks such as how easily someone with mobility issues would be
able to leave the building, whether someone was at risk of falls, or whether
someone with dementia might need special timers to help with cooking.
But she looked at wider problems such as
whether the occupants needed referring to other services who could help deal
with isolation, loneliness or mental health issues.
Kim said: “I think this made a real
difference to people’s lives. I felt like I was promoting the profession and
showing the value of what occupational therapists can do, as well as
demonstrating how health and social care can work together with organisations
such as the fire service.
“Carrying out this work really helped my
learning as an undergraduate. It gave me the opportunity to develop my own
skills and competencies in a creative and innovative way, while considering the
wider context of health and social care.”
Christine Kenney, lecturer and role emerging
placement tutor at the University of Salford, said: “Kim has clearly made a
significant impression and it is fantastic to see her work being credited in
this way.”
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