Money matters for Lady Dane residents

Residents at our Lady Dane Farmhouse have been learning about money and taking part in specially designed budget workshops.

The three workshops, run by Home Manager Claire Dante and Deputy Imma Massaguer, were delivered in the last month.

Workshop one was about involving residents to understand different types of denomination, for example coins and notes, to understand the value of money and have a go at counting it themselves and to know which coin and note is worth more than others.

Workshop two was designed to make the residents aware of the cost of everyday items. They took a trip to Tesco to establish ‘real’ price, and they were asked to think about the things that make them happy that do not cost anything.

They were also asked, and encouraged if they wanted to, to save for something and how could they do this.

The final workshop was all about their attitudes towards money. So, understanding priorities and risk and then there was a reflection discussion on everything they had learnt.

Claire said: “This has been such a worthwhile task for us. We have included all of our findings in the residents’ care plans and in their targets and personal goals and I am determined to help them reach them. They all did so fantastic, and we are so proud of them and their perseverance. We hope this workshop has given the residents confidence when handling their money when in the community and when using the home’s shop box.”

Every resident had the chance to participate in the workshops. They all attended at least one.

Claire added: “We will be meeting again on Monday 28 October with Sarah from our Finance team and some of the residents individually. We plan, with consent, to look at their individual bank statements with them to confirm if they are receiving all benefits/rail cards/blue badge/bus passes etc that they are entitled to.

“In addition to this what the residents demonstrated in the workshops also provided us with evidence to complete accurate Mental Capacity Assessments and risk assessments around consent and the safe storage of individual residents, personal money, passports and personal information. We also provided some residents with information leaflets all about types of fraud and romance scams.”

Director of Care, Becky Richards, said: “I’m really proud of my team at Lady Dane Farmhouse and equally proud of our residents who are wanting to learn more about everyday things like money. Claire and Imma have worked so hard, and this will equip our residents with lots of new ideas and support to help them make sense of their money and support them as they take control of their lives.”