About

WAC in Park Ward Halifax provides a programme of structured support to mainly South Asian women aged 50+ who due to cultural sensitivity are exposed to social isolation and deprivation. The centre has adopted a variety of approaches exploring the management of maintaining the physical and mental well-being of older Asian women living in Calderdale.

Image of carer holding hands

We were founded in 2011 to provide a necessary and lacking service to South Asian women in the area, who are suffering from isolation, loneliness, and lack of motivation or opportunity to engage with society and be more active.

Our clients are first generation migrants now in later life, the majority of whose husbands came to work in the mills here. In a lot of cases their husbands have died and they have become isolated from society by language and cultural barriers. They are inactive through lack of education on health, and there is a high instance of diabetes through inadequate information on diet. Both of which we are working to improve, along with holistic health management. We engage, inform and give the resources to improve their fitness, as well as providing peer support and professional advice. We deal with clients who have dementia, mental health problems and multiple medical issues and disabilities.

WAC’s aim is to: –

• Provide a safe environment, which is culturally sensitive.

• Encourage and empower clients to manage their physical and mental health and well-being through programme of educational and recreational pursuits.

• Supporting our clients in dealing with day to day problems that arise where a language barrier can exist.

We provide a day care service with peer and professional support, luncheon club, fitness classes, sauna and other relaxation and health equipment. We have a counselling service and offer individual health, weight and diabetes management.

WAC will work towards the outcomes identified in the Department of Health Green Paper 2005 “Independence, well being and choice” which states that the people who use Services want those services to enable them to:

  • Stay Healthy
  • Enjoy independence
  • Keep control and choice
  • Retain dignity
  • Experience joined up care
  • Achieve economic well being
  • Retain community contacts and roles