A 75-year-old woman self-referred to Social Prescribing Link Worker Jill Petrovic after encouragement from her ex-husband, who was already on Jill’s caseload. He had shared concerns about her mental health, explaining that she felt trapped in her home and increasingly isolated.
When Jill visited, she found the woman was very low in mood. Living alone in a second-floor flat with 14 external steps – which she described as feeling like “400 steps” due to her severe COPD – had left her unable to leave the house easily, contributing to her sense of loneliness and frustration.
The woman explained that she had been on the waiting list with Together Housing for more than two years, bidding daily for ground-floor accommodation but without success. With her consent, Jill wrote to Together Housing, outlining the woman’s health condition and the impact of her current living situation on her wellbeing.
Just one month later, the woman was offered a bungalow in Shelf. When Jill followed up, the woman shared how life-changing the move had been – she could now step outside into her garden and go out independently without worrying about stairs.
She described feeling as though “a weight had been lifted off her” and expressed deep gratitude for Jill’s support.
This case demonstrates the vital role of social prescribing in improving quality of life and wellbeing by tackling the practical and social barriers that contribute to poor mental health and isolation.
