Success as carer scoops award

Councillor Ifikhar Ahmed, cabinet member for adult care (second left) congratulates Adi Dalman (second right) on her award success, with staff from PossAbilities

A carer based at Heywood social enterprise PossAbilities has been crowned Shared Lives outstanding carer of the year at a national awards ceremony.

Adeline Dalman was hailed for providing dedicated help and support to a young person going through a challenging time.

The judges were impressed at Adeline’s caring approach and the role she played in transforming an individual’s life.

Adeline is now encouraging more people across the borough to sign up to become Shared Lives Carers.

Shared Lives carers support and provide accommodation for adults with learning disabilities, mental health problems or other needs, who cannot live alone but may still be fairly independent.

Claire Morphet, PossAbilities family support manager, said: “Two years ago, Adi started supporting a young person at a crossroads in their life and enabled her to work on her inner self to grow in confidence and become the person we know today, who is gregarious, joyous and fun.”

Adeline said: “Becoming a Shared Lives carer is the best thing I have ever done. I get so much pride and satisfaction from helping and supporting people at a vulnerable time in their lives. The scheme provides people with their own space and independence, with a vital network of support in place. I am proud of this award and I would passionately encourage other people to become Shared Lives carers to help vulnerable people to flourish, develop and become more confident in life.”

Councillor Iftikhar Ahmed, Rochdale Borough Council cabinet member for adult care, said: “We want all our residents to live as independently as possible in an environment of their choice, which is why the Shared Lives scheme is so inspiring. I would like to congratulate Adeline and PossAbilities for their work to help people live the life they choose. The council is fully supportive of such a superb scheme and let’s hope 2020 sees even more Shared Lives carers coming forward, to make a positive difference to people’s lives.”