BetterPoints user Gayle tells us her story
Gayle said that she found the app easy to download and start using, and really liked the fact that it showed how far she had travelled as well as the CO2 emissions that were saved by travelling actively. Not long after downloading the app, she sprained her ankle and then contracted COVID – so she’s not been as active lately. But she’s doing much better now and keen to use the app herself, as well as promote it to others.
Gayle works as a Community Links Practitioner at a local surgery for the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland. She works with individuals of all ages on a one-to-one basis to help identify and address issues that negatively impact their health.
How have you been promoting the app at work and beyond?
“I have been trying to promote it with both colleagues within my team and at the surgery I work at, with a view to get them to inform patients they see. As a way of making the BetterPoints scheme as inclusive as possible, we have been promoting the paper passport version via The Phoenix Centre as well as handing out pedometers, as not everyone we come into contact with has a smartphone. I work with many people who have a limited budget to spend on essentials, and a mobile phone isn’t always affordable.
I had been going to The Phoenix Centre to do weightlifting before my injury, as well as accompanying and encouraging people to do activities if they were reluctant or feeling too anxious to mix in groups. I would do the activities alongside them to help with engagement. I also lead on a weekly health walk group which has 7-8 participants and I have promoted the app to them. During the pandemic and with the initial restrictions I organised walking appointments on a one-to-one basis with patients. This was a way to connect with nature, enable people to feel less anxious about going out, as well as changing the dynamics of our appointments. We would use the local forestry commission routes near the surgery. Being immersed in nature and seeing the wildlife would provide some distraction for a while and keep their minds off their anxiety.”
What will you be spending your points on?
“I want to benefit the people that I come into contact with. I would like to get some vouchers for a local deli that provides affordable fresh fruit and vegetables, which can then be donated to people I work with who are struggling to make ends meet as food poverty is an issue. Usually what can be bought at the local supermarkets can be very expensive, plus buying from the deli is a way of supporting both the local community and economy.”
Here is Gayle, with her two daughters and their dog Jax at Glasgow Necropolis.
Many thanks to Gayle for sharing her story and the amazing work she is doing with the BetterPoints community. We are very proud to work for a company that makes such a difference in people's lives.