Covid 19 coronavirus: Teamwork helps Hawke's Bay disability services tick along in lockdown

The Sport Hawke's Bay team ready to deliver activity packs. Photo / Supplied

Teamwork meant the disability services sector managed to keep things ticking along during the Covid-19 lockdown.

By working in a partnership, Hawke's Bay disability service organisations delivered more than 50 resource and activity packs each week to people unable to attend vocational day programmes.

Enliven Disability Service Manager Andrew Wordsworth said not being able to provide face-to-face services was a challenge for disability workers, who normally rely on seeing their clients in person.

"But we still wanted to provide vocational services and some form of activity for our people to help them make it through lockdown, to keep them engaged, keep them active, and give them things they enjoyed doing," Wordsworth said.

"We received funding from the Ministry of Social Development, so we bought art resources, developed numeracy, literacy and craft activities, and worked with Sport Hawke's Bay to develop exercises for people with disabilities who were stuck at home, to keep them active while they were in lockdown.

"Our clients loved the details the tutors put in, to make packs specific to the individual, not just generic. Carers were really happy to have support and activities for their loved ones, too."

Since the start of the Covid-19 response, Hawke's Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group has linked up with community organisations and agencies to create a "network of networks" working collaboratively with the group to look after the welfare needs of the Hawke's Bay community.