When Anna’s father died, she lost her sense of purpose as well as a parent.
The 47-year-old from Clapham had been his carer for 13 years, so his death had a massive impact.
It was during a health and wellbeing assessment with her GP that the depth of Anna’s grief became apparent.
During that assessment, Anna said she felt desperately lonely, wasn’t eating and had no confidence at all.
She wanted to have a purpose to her life again and wanted to get a job.
Connecting to local services
Anna’s GP referred her to Age UK’s SAIL (safe and independent living) service. SAIL is an excellent programme that connects people to local services to help them maintain their independence and wellbeing.
A member of Lambeth’s SAIL team visited Anna to talk about her feelings and discuss what help she might need to get into work.
As part of that support, Anna was linked up with an IT class. She attended the class and really enjoyed it. She also invited a fellow classmate to join her for a coffee afterwards.
Anna continues to attend classes and is considering volunteering work as a stepping stone to paid work.
Anna now feels more positive and energised. She is getting regular visits from the SAIL team to check on her progress.
Some details have been changed.