Broker stories
Mini-brokerage: relief for the carer
Being part of the community
Living life my way in a care home
Support brokerage in Oxfordshire (video)
Breaking the cycle of social isolation
Support brokers are people who specialise in helping individuals make their support plan. They help think of new and different ways of doing things, and how to make the money in the personal budget go further.
We have collected Oxfordshire examples of how support brokers were able to help someone plan and arrange their care in such a way that they were able to realise everything that is important to them on their own terms.
Mini-brokerage: relief for the carer
Mr and Mrs A-P, both in their late eighties live in their own home, and Mr A-P has become used to looking after his wife. With the help of a support broker from Age UK (formerly Age Concern) Mr A-P can continue to care for his wife while receiving good support himself.
- Mini-Brokerage (.pdf, 34Kb)
Being part of the community
With the introduction of personal budgets and self directed support, the role of brokers will become increasingly important.
We talked to Carole McLatchie of MacIntyre, to find out how their help and support made life so much better for a young woman with autism.
- MacIntyre Brokerage (.pdf, 41Kb)
Living life my way in a care home
Close collaboration between the council and support brokers from Age UK brokers resulted in a ground-breaking initiative in Oxfordshire care homes, which even went on to win the 2010 Improving Lives Award. The project reserves a small proportion of a resident’s personal funding to help discover and arrange activities the individual or individuals concerned are interested in. It is now being rolled out in other care homes in the county.
Age UK support broker Chris Witcher explains how it works in the following case study:
- Individual Service Funds (.pdf, 73Kb)
Adult Social Care: Brokerage Story from OxfordshireCC on Vimeo.
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Breaking the cycle of social isolation
Mr Green (not his real name), 58, has alcohol related problems as well as back problems which have left him quite disabled and feeling isolated with no opportunity to socialise much. At his first assessment interview he expressed a wish to go out more.
Chris Witcher from Age UK explains how some relatively simple changes made life much more manageable for Mr Green and his family.
- Mr Green (.pdf, 32Kb)
