Kelly Stuart 15/06/2020 Member StoriesNews

May 4th 2020

Last week I seemed to have more bad days than good days and my mood was very ‘up and down’, but I’m hoping this week will be better.  My mum has given me some household jobs to do and that’s helping me to have a good routine.

The sun is shining and that always helps to lift my mood and make me feel chirpier.  I haven’t been out for any exercise for a couple of days although I have been walking my sister’s dog for her. 

I live with my mum and step-dad and my grandfather is next door and my sister and baby nephew are also in the same street so it’s good to be able to chat over the garden wall.

I am Chair of Caerphilly People First and normally I am at the office four days per week.  We were hoping to design some training around good boundaries when working with volunteers but we’ve put that on hold for now and will look at it again in a few months’ time.

When lock-down eases up  I am really excited at the thought of being able to see my friends and my new nephew, but I know that people may still feel that it’s not safe to go out because of the virus. 

May 13th 2020

This week I’ve been helping my mum again.  I was a bit stressed yesterday as I was trying to set up a Zoom meeting for Caerphilly People First and it didn’t go very smoothly!  I enjoyed attending the National Council yesterday – it’s not the same as being all together but it was great to see everyone.  We have great get togethers and we’re all missing them at the moment.

Tomorrow will be housework and then a Zoom meeting with the Welsh Ambulance. I work for Welsh Ambulance – going out to day centres and to people with learning disabilities and poor mental health – and I train people on when it’s appropriate to ring 999 and when it would be better to phone the GP or the pharmacy.  I really enjoy doing this. There’s an online quiz tomorrow evening too. 

I live with my family and don’t have any additional support.  I hurt my knee badly on holiday in Cyprus last year and was due to have a physio appointment on 1^st April.  It got cancelled because of Covid and I haven’t heard anything else. What matters now is spending time with my nephew and my extended family; granddad is next door so I can shout over the wall to check if he needs anything and I phone my nan every day.

May 20th 2020

It’s very hot today so I haven’t taken the dog out for her walk yet.  I’m (sort of) getting used to the lockdown routine, but sometimes when memories come up on Facebook that remind me I had been in Tenby or somewhere else lovely, I feel a bit upset.

I’ve been busy doing interviews and videoing them for Facebook as part of my Caerphilly People First role. I’ve been using Zoom to interview student nurses  who come on placement with us about their experiences of working in hospitals during the Covid crisis, as well as keyworkers and people with learning disabilities like me.  I have different questions for different people.

I had a Caerphilly People First meeting on Monday this week for a catch up.  I don’t have much else planned this week, except for babysitting my nephew.  I do feel quite chirpy this week.