We’ve been supporting Evelyn*, an 85-year-old who was injured when she was a passenger in a car crash. Her partner was driving at the time and sadly passed away after the collision.
Challenges
Evelyn sustained several injuries in the crash, including fractures and bruising, a wound to her leg that required vacuum dressing and hearing loss as a result of the impact of the airbags. Her injuries have meant that Evelyn lost some of her independence and she could no longer enjoy some of her previous hobbies.
How we helped
When Evelyn first contacted CFG, there was a lack of support through the NHS and she was having difficulties with the wound on her leg healing. Our rehabilitation and support coordinator, Mary Whittle, stepped in to find out what was happening and to help Evelyn access the services she so desperately needed.
- Mary immediately spoke with the district nurses who were caring for Evelyn’s wound to find out what the treatment plan was so she could explain this to Evelyn. There were also no follow up appointments arranged, so Mary contacted Evelyn’s GP, which resulted in a referral to both a plastic and dermatology consultant for ongoing assessment and treatment.
- Alongside this, Mary spoke with Evelyn’s GP to try and get a referral for physiotherapy and psychological support after she had lost her partner. Although referrals were made, the support offered to Evelyn was limited. Evelyn’s legal team negotiated with the defendants in the case to try and get funding for this ongoing support. They agreed to release some money to pay for physiotherapy, psychological input and cleaning services to ease the strain on Evelyn.
- With some funding secured, Mary visited Evelyn to help her in choosing an appropriate physiotherapist who was aligned with her goals of getting back to her previous hobbies.
- Evelyn was worried about using the funding to pay for psychological support and wanted to concentrate on her physiotherapy, so Mary signposted her to the charities RoadPeace and the Road Victims Trust, who provided psychological support.
*not her real name
