Sheltered Manager Service
Scheme Managers (SMs) are practical and understanding people who are familiar with the problems faced by older people. The SMs, together with the Careline Southwark community alarm services, provide cover 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. All staff members are trained in first aid, and can call tenants' relatives, doctors or other professional help when needed.
The Scheme Manager's duties
The SM checks each tenant, Monday to Friday, to make sure that they are okay. We expect sheltered tenants to co-operate by accepting daily calls. If tenants go away from their property, they must tell their manager.
The SM gets to know the tenants living on their sheltered scheme. Their first duty is to help and encourage elderly tenants to lead independent lives.
The SM works normal office hours, Monday to Friday, and can be contacted within this time. After this time, the tenant can contact Careline in the event of an emergency.
Confidential records
We keep confidential records so that we can contact relatives in an emergency. This information is important. Such information includes contact addresses and phone numbers of relatives, doctors and next of kin.
These records may also have information about the medical conditions a tenant has. This information could be vital in an emergency. Sheltered tenants must tell the SM about any changes of information.
If tenants want to leave special instructions about their funeral, they should do this in writing. They should leave the instructions with the person the tenant has agreed will act for them when they die. The SM needs to know how to contact this person. The information is kept on the tenant's confidential file.
General enquiries and day-to-day problems
The SM is trained to advise sheltered tenants on any day-to-day problem that they may have. They can also give information about the services available to residents, including home care, meals on wheels and welfare benefits.
If sheltered tenants have personal problems or general enquiries and have no close friends or family who can help, the SM can often point them in the right direction. If the manager thinks the problem is something they can't deal with, then they will make sure that the right person or department are contacted.
The SM can:
- be with you quickly in an emergency
- offer first aid and get medical help
- offer a sympathetic and listening ear
- help organise social events
- help tenants find help to deal with any problem they may have.
Scheme Managers do not:
- act as a nurse
- give domestic help (except in an emergency)
- take responsibility for your valuables, money or your personal finances.
Scheme Managers are not there to act as nurses or to clean, shop, or collect pensions for tenants. If a tenant needs this help, we expect relatives and friends to help them. Social services may be able to help if the tenant does not have this support available.