SNN_December 2022 Issue_web low res

NEW ZEALAND SPINAL TRUST 8
—Andrew Hall
It's facing that reality when
you get home—the fact
that you have a permanent
disabling illness or injury.
We were pretty sure that it was a necessary thing and
certainly that has been proven. We're just in the process of
getting some evaluations done, people are filling out some
questionnaires about their experience with the service
already, and that's been hugely positive.
So how does Peer Support actually work?
BT: While the patients are in the unit, they have in-house
Peer Support from our team. A week or two prior to the
clients discharge date, we set up a zoom call with the person
who will become their community Peer Supporter.
So we set up a meeting with the in-house Peer Support,
the coordinator and community Peer Support. It’s just
doing an introduction and a handover. All the details are
passed on to the client. So when they're discharged, they
already know who they'll be dealing with in the
community. That community Peer Supporter could get in
touch with that person at any stage from then on.
On top of that, and no matter what is happening with that
client our coordinators will be calling them in the first
two weeks after discharge and do a monthly catch up too.
And we encourage our community Peer Supporters to do
the same, just to make sure everything's going okay.
What are some of the most common areas that people
with an SCI need in that first transition?
AH: There's still a lot of people involved while the person
is getting set up, whether it's their ACC Case Manager or
they might have a community physio that they've been
referred to or a local occupational therapist, their housing
mods might be getting underway, there's still a lot of
people involved in their world.
Our role is not so much to satisfy any of those
requirements. It is very much to help with the top six
inches—their attitude. What is going on in the brain
department that they want to just talk about how they're
feeling. That it's not all clinical and process it's more
about them and how they're thinking and feeling. And
their families too of course, the whānau and how they're
thinking and feeling. If they want to talk, we can talk and
if they don’t that’s fine. Give us a call when you are ready,
and we'll be there.
That lived experience is invaluable. And with all these
people for example the housing modifications is a classic
one where it can be quite daunting for a lot of people to
get into that process and you know, our Peer Support
workers have been there, done that.
WISE HEAD: Andrew Hall is the
ideal man to be running the Peer and
Whānau Support programme for the
NZ Spinal Trust.
You know, it is a big process, and it can be fraught with
fishhooks. But, you start to chip away and you get the
right reports and the right things done and you can work
through it. I know that a number of our people have been
asked to cast their eye over a few plans and been asked
what they think.
Do they think this process has been followed correctly
and we are able to help in that situation because we've
been there and done that.
What have been some of the biggest challenges?
BT: Probably one of the biggest challenges has been
recruiting and personnel. We had already started our
recruitment prior to the ACC contract being confirmed. So
we had a small team already doing the training.
Right now we've got vacancies and it's an ongoing thing.
You know, people drop off for various reasons and then
we've got to recruit again. And we like to try and find
people whose heart is in the right place, and that can take
time. So, personnel have been the biggest challenge.
Andrew's really helped with getting the team up to speed
with the technology so that has been pretty seamless.
What have been some good outcomes?
AH: Well, I think because we're not just working with
newly injured people we are working with all people with
SCI in the community. There is a number of people who
have been out of hospital for many years who we want to
connect with and just touch base with to see how things
are going.