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“My mum was diagnosed with Dementia in 2018 and this has greatly impacted her mental health. The limited social contact imposed by the Pandemic has further deteriorated the quality of her life. I have been the main Carer for mum during this time and am now. I came down with an illness that was going to require surgical intervention. Shortly prior to the scheduled surgery date, I attended our annual prayer event at the Jain community centre. Your Chief Executive gave a short presentation about the EAWA services, and I picked up a leaflet and scheduled a visit.

In truth we did not know whether your services would suit mum, for a start, she has not been out of the house for a long time (prior to her diagnosis she was a full-time carer for my dad who was terminally ill with cancer). Attempting to persuade mum to socially interact, go out – even visit close family members’ homes was proving to be difficult. She was no longer engaging with TV dramas and reading newspapers and her ability to converse by phone/video calling was also reducing. Communication was increasingly becoming frustrating. I would be dreading each day’s incidents that indicated the worsening of her mental capacity.

Since attending the EAWA centre the change in mum has been extraordinary. Whilst she is not able to remember or tell me what she did at the centre in any direct way, her mood is always upbeat when she returns from the centre and the change in her actions is very noticeable. She has resumed activities at homes such as making tea, reading the paper, watching the News, helping with domestic work such as washing up and best of all conversations with me, and others via phone and video. She now showers every day (even on days off), and her face lights up at the sight of the bus. She is also remembering names, places and where she has placed her objects much more easily. She is no longer needing to take daily paracetamol (joint aches) and her blood pressure has lowered sufficiently for us to review her medication for this. If this progress continues, then we will also look to reduce her current daily reliance on anti-depressant medication. I would like to say my heartfelt thanks to the entire EAWA team – you have literally put the “golden” back in my mum’s retirement days plus given me much-needed respite (sleep!) and the confidence to continue to care for mum at home.”

Manisha, Daughter And Carer For Mrs Ranjan Shah

“The EAWA day center in Enfield has made a world of difference for my mum who lives by herself. Since I live abroad and due to Covid-19, it was a constant worry that my mum is alone and not able to connect with friends and relatives. Now that she has joined EAWA she takes exceptional care of picking up and dropping her off, and she is in a safe environment, well looked after by the caring and friendly staff of EAWA. Every time I speak to her, she talks with joy about how much she loves the day center, meeting people, all the activities, and the encouragement from the staff. Forever grateful for EAWA services!”

Bharti Patel

“I’m a carer and POA for my mother. That in itself entails massive responsibility in doing the right thing by the person I care for all the time. Knowing she goes to the EAWA I have seen and know that I have full trust in the service they provide. The risk assessments, level of caring, services provided, helping her to the toilet, eating etc… is at the same level I do for her the rest of the time. By having her attend the EAWA gives me the time to catch up on other commitments, take a rest myself, have time for my appointments. I can only do that knowing she’s in good, safe and professional hands. That alone reduces my worries and gives me the energy and time to continue caring for her when she’s back home. The EAWA is a fantastic organisation and I would highly recommend it to both those being cared and hence carers.”

Gita Patel

“Hello to all members and staff. My mum (Elaine), has only been visiting EAWA for a few months now, but I can gladly report that she looks forward to and thoroughly enjoys her visits. My mum especially enjoys the various activities and has made many new friends with other members, staff, and drivers.I can say for sure that my mum’s visits have improved her quality of life, and added much-needed mental and physical stimulation.”

Fizul (Son)

“Hello Chetnaben, hope you all are fine, lovely to see the promotion. Mum has been coming to the centre for more than 12 years and at the moment she is unable to come due to health issues. She misses all the lovely activities which are held at the centre and all the lovely friends she has made over the years. She also misses the carers who are looking after all the people attending the day centre. We wish Eawa all the best for the future.”

Deepa Shah / Chandrakala Shah

“I can rest my mind and focus on my work knowing my mother is in safe hands” 

A very popular phrase which was mentioned by the carers. Eawa has allowed people to focus on their work without having to worry about those they care for; Eawa has given carers reassurance and a chance to work. The words ‘safe hands’ prove they have all the trust within Eawa to look after their loved ones.  

 

“I was pleasantly surprised with the number of unique activities they do” 

Eawa has a variety of activities (mentioned above) in which they help clients to participate. Physical activities have been helping the clients, many carers stated that their loved one would not get out of bed or do anything physically. Flower arranging is an activity most elderly enjoy however due to immobility issues some are not able to fulfil their desires fortunately, Eawa took this into consideration and introduced flower arranging as an activity for their clients, although some require help doing this the staff help the clients engage in the activity.  

 

“They have been excellent in organising and interacting with us professionally, this is a much-needed organisation” 

The staff at Eawa work tremendously with clients in organising fun activities. Staff make the clients feel welcome and comfortable. The constant engagement and updates to carers allow Eawa to present themselves professionally and increase trust within the carers. The fact that Eawa organises new activities has shown that clients are excited to attend in expectation of new activities and meeting their friends. As it states, ‘this is a much-needed organisation’ Eawa has definitely proven to carers and their clients they really do care for the clients it also proves they have gone above and beyond the expectations in comparison to other organisations.  

 

“They work tirelessly to ensure that every member feels valued and included.” 

Once again Eawa’s staff have shown their dedication and affection towards every member. People have seen that they work hard in order to provide the best of their services. Many elderly people don’t feel valued within the society/community they are in, they are often scared to go out and meet new people in the sense they don’t feel as if they fit into the community. At Eawa every member is valued and allowed to feel included in all activities available. Each member of staff communicates with the clients every day and introduces them to new activities when possible. Allowing everyone to work in groups engages them to know they are a part of this team. 

 

“During the Covid pandemic, Eawa did not lose contact with my mum, in fact a staff member would call every day and speak to my mum whether it is over the phone or via zoom. They really do care about their clients; I am ever so grateful to Eawa.” 

Eawa did not fail their clients even during the hardest times, the Covid-19 pandemic. Those clients who joined before the pandemic missed going to the face-to-face classes however the staff did not give up on them, they ensured to call the clients multiple days of the week and have a one-to-one chat with them via the phone and also provided clients with food for those who cannot cook. The staff have become part of the clients’ lives not as a carer but as a friend and family. They’ve given a shoulder for the clients when they needed it and have gained affection and closeness from the families. Their consistency throughout the pandemic shows their professionalism and integrity to keep clients and carers within the organisation.  

 

“One thing that exceeded my expectation of Eawa was their communication, any signs of concerns Eawa would alert immediately, they pay very close attention to all their clients and pick up on any behaviour that doesn’t look right, it’s amazing how much care they show” 

As mentioned, before we received a lot of repetitive answers, and one may factor that outstood to everyone was Eawa’s excellent communication skills. One reason why this important within the organisation is because carers trust the members and leave their loved ones in the hope they will be looked after just like how the carer would look after them. For any changes in behaviour, a carer will be able to identify and seek medical help immediately, however when they are not under their supervision this attention is diverted which would cause carers anxiety. Fortunately, at Eawa the staff members pay extra attention to all behaviours of clients and report back every day to the carers whether it is something concerning or whether they’ve done something new. Keeping the carers in the loop allows them to feel included and not have a separated emotion. It also allows the carers to communicate with their loved ones about the activities they’ve done. Keeping carers informed allows them to trust the organisation better and recommend Eawa’s services to others.  

 

 

“It’s an Asian organisation that makes our loved ones feel closer to home whether it is India, Bengali, Pakistan… no one will feel lonely as there are no language barriers” 

Many Asians especially the elderly find it difficult to make friends or join communities due to language barriers. They are often made worthless or belittled, statistics show at least one in three face loneliness. This is upsetting to know Eawa is the first Asian organisation to start up within Enfield to start tackling this and getting a lot of positive reviews from carers. This testimonial shows client feels at home as they are provided with food that is within their culture and something they’ll have at home but also allows them to communicate without that struggle.  

 

 

” If you want the best retirement for your loved ones choose EAWA 

This proves that Eawa has exceeded expectations and proven they can be trusted with loved ones. It can be seen over these testimonials Eawa has impacted not only clients’ lives but carers’ lives as well. Eawa’s activities and positive attitude toward their clients have shown unexpected affection and closure.  

These statements are from the students of Brunel University