In May, we discussed physiotherapy with a woman at Age UK's Dementia Awareness event in Trinity Square. She had a diagnosed medical condition that affected the use of her hands, causing her difficulties in day-to-day life.
She was frustrated because she was struggling to access support, and after searching for information using Google, the AI search results had told her that she would not be able to receive any. We explained that this was not the case; she had options, and we signposted her to speak with the Citizen's Advice Bureau who were attending the same event.
Later that day, she returned to thank us, saying that the Citizen's Advice Bureau had helped her to identify her next steps. She was now confident that she would be able to secure an appointment and work towards taking control of her own care. "I'm glad I came to speak to you, the advice of 'Dr Google' was very wrong."
We were also approached by a woman at Leam Lane Family hub who had received a digital letter from the NHS but was struggling to access it. She was unable to log in to the NHS App on her phone and no longer had another device that she could use.
We provided her with several options; contact information she could use to request a physical copy of the letter, the steps to regain access to the NHS App on her phone, and information on how to use the computers at Gateshead Central Library to access the digital version of the letter.