Selsey Community Forum was one of the first organisations to partner with My Future Care to offer later life planning support through the My Future Care Service. Selsey Community Forum is a partnership of local voluntary organisations working together to identify and meet the needs of their community.
We recently caught up with Operations Lead, Karen Pirks, to find out how things are progressing.
How are things at Selsey Community Forum since we last spoke? Are you offering any new services or support?
Last year, we hosted a Later Life Planning event at Caraway Care Home, a newly opened home in Selsey. The event brought together speakers offering practical advice, including Harry Anstee from The Wealth Care Partnership (pictured), an independent financial advisor appointed by West Sussex County Council’s Carewise scheme. The event was well received by the community and helped raise awareness of the support available to help people plan for the future.
Another new service we’re pleased to offer is the Robins Service, led by my colleague Alison Goodrham. It’s a befriending service for people living alone without family support or for those in care homes. Robin befrienders have been fully trained with the support of our local hospice, helping to ensure no one feels alone at the end of life.
How are you supporting people using the My Future Care Handbooks? Have you changed anything since you started using them?
My Future Care Handbooks continue to provide a valuable framework for later life planning. We now offer the Handbooks as part of our wider Later Life Planning support, which has expanded across the Manhood Peninsula, Chichester and Lavant through our growing network of Help Hubs – now numbering 11 hubs, including our local hospice.
My colleague, Linda Edwards (pictured) works with our small team of trained volunteers in Selsey to support people to work through the Handbook at their own pace. Some need just a little guidance to get started, while others benefit from more regular visits. Our volunteers in the Witterings will soon receive training to launch their own My Future Care service, extending this support to even more people.
What difference does later life and future care planning support make to the people you serve?
People really value having someone to guide them through these conversations. The Handbook gets people thinking and talking about their future, often for the first time. It’s particularly helpful to start these conversations earlier rather than later, as it helps people feel more in control and makes it easier to access additional services like the Robins Service when the time comes.
We’ve seen first-hand how having a plan in place can lift a weight off people’s shoulders, giving them greater peace of mind and more time to focus on enjoying life.
We’re so pleased to see the difference Selsey Community Forum is making with the My Future Care Buddy Service and their wider Later Life Planning offer. Thank you to Karen and the team for sharing your story!
Feeling motivated by Karen’s insights? Could you incorporate future care planning support into your group or service?
Take advantage of our free training and ongoing support programme. Our online training will equip your team to help the people you work with make an action plan and see it through, using the My Future Care Handbook as a source of information and structure for the conversation. Handbooks are available free in certain areas (thanks to area-specific funding), otherwise bulk prices are available.
