Hello
My name is Kalpana, and I am the new Wellbeing worker at Dumfries & Galloway ME and Fibromyalgia Network. I’d like to introduce myself and let you know about what I’ll be doing across Dumfries and Galloway.
My Main Tasks:
- I will be co-ordinating Network wellbeing activities.
- I will support members to take advantage of the wellbeing opportunities that the Network offer.
- I will support befrienders / peer mentors.
- I will be providing signposting to other services.
- I’ll be a point of contact for the most vulnerable and newly diagnosed members.
- Be a single point of contact for health and social care professionals.
- I’ll be making sure everyone knows what the network are doing. I will be doing this by marketing and promoting activities to raise awareness of the Network with both health and social care professionals, people with the conditions and the wider community.
- I will also be monitoring and evaluating how things are going.
Activities are likely to include things such as:
- Informal social meet-ups
- Online craft-focused activities such as mindful colouring and origami
- In person craft-focused activities such as pottery and weaving
- Online wellbeing-focused activities such as mindfulness and zen gardens
- In person wellbeing-focused activities such as chair yoga and sound baths
The reason this role came into being was because members (People who have ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia and/or the post exertional malaise symptom of Long-Covid) told us that they wanted to feel supported. People with these long-term conditions experience poverty, as the vast majority of our members are unable to work due to their ill health and are therefore living on benefits; and disadvantage and discrimination, as they are often excluded from regular activities as a result of physical, attitudinal and systemic barriers within society.
What difference will it make:
I hope that people will have better relationships, connections and physical or mental health. I will be able to facilitate social activities that will enable people to connect with their peers in a relaxed and supportive environment.
I will also play a specific role in connecting with those members who are most vulnerable and/or newly diagnosed. This focus will lead to an improvement in their access to appropriate services, an increase in their understanding of their condition and an increased ability for them to self-manage their condition.
A little bit about me:
I have Fibromyalgia and Lupus so have lived experience of energy limiting conditions. I have a young daughter who keeps me on my toes and two cats that keep me company on my less mobile days. I enjoy art, music and reading. When I’m up for it I enjoying going out and being in nature. I am really looking forward to starting my job and getting to know members, their Carers (unpaid) and the wider community in Dumfries and Galloway.