Perranwell Health Hub steps in to support Carnon Downs woman

In 2022 Joy Arnold and her husband Syd came to the Health and Wellbeing Hub in Perranwell for the first time to socialise and find support locally. When they realised that the Community Matron for Carnon Down's surgery attended every Hub Joy soon realised the Hub might be a place where she could find support for a much more immediate problem. Joy wrote this wonderful testimonial to our Hub team a few months after her last visit to us.

"I went with my husband to one of the Perranwell Wellbeing Hub days a short time before Christmas. Syd had been very ill for some time and we thought a little outing with easy wheelchair access would perhaps cheer him up a bit`. It did ! We were made to feel very welcome and the volunteers there were so friendly and interested in every one of those there. What we hadn't realised was that the Community Matron who is there is wanting people who may be struggling with health problems to just drop in to speak with her, you don't have to commit to staying too long if you can't manage it but she has the ability to give time to you to discuss any difficulties you may be experiencing. Tammy, that's her name, she's lovely by the way ! Asked if she could come and visit us at home as she could see that my husband was very poorly. We didn't have to ask her, she just came over to speak to us. The following week she made an appointment to visit us at home and spent nearly two hours assessing our situation and needs. As a consequence of that meeting she was able to escalate for us the support we were so badly in need of. We hadn't actually realised it could be found so were just soldiering on but it was getting almost impossible to cope on our own. Tammy liased with our wonderful doctors at Carnon Downs surgery and between them they managed to set up an end-of-life support package for us. I had given up hope of there being any help available but it came, just in time. The last few days of my husband's life were made so special because I was able to have him at home with me and look after him myself instead of him having strangers who wouldn't have understood what he needed. Thank you so much Tammy Etherington, I wish there were more like you for the many there are like us."

Since Syd passed away Joy has been a huge advocate for the Hub spreading the word about what we do and the support we can give to people in the Perranwell Station, Carnon Downs, Feock and surrounding communities. If you know someone who might benefit from attending the Hub then please email Ellen at ellen.moule@imagineif.net or call her on: 07446257846

Perranwell Health and Wellbeing Hub currently has a Crowdfunder campaign up and running and you can donate to us here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/perranwell-hub