My PA: A digital day at Shanti Court

Join Matt, our Digital Systems Analyst here at PA Housing, on a trip to Shanti Court to offer support to residents around My PA and all things digital. And find out how you can get support with My PA too.

Matt’s day at Shanti Court

As I arrived, I was welcomed by an extremely polite resident who asked if I was there to deliver the training. She was apologetic that she had an appointment to attend, but I made sure that she knew where to come if she needed any support with My PA. We then continued to have a nice chat about the weather and what it was like to live at Shanti Court.

I was then greeted by Kayode, the Neighbourhood Coordinator for Shanti Court, who spoke with me about what residents were struggling with.

The communal space is gorgeous, especially on such a warm day. As you enter the spacious conservatory, it opens up to a lovely garden area filled with plants, flowers, and a BBQ (which I have been told on good authority is being used to get all the residents together).

Within minutes, residents arrived to explain what support they needed with My PA, and also the Appello telecare devices (used for personal security and safety in emergencies) installed within their homes. I decided it would be much better to provide support one-on-one rather than sit everyone through a presentation. This way, we could address individual concerns, and each resident would feel that the encounter was valuable to them.

I soon had a queue forming around the conservatory as I spent time registering residents; showing them how to make payments and how to see a breakdown of any payments they'd made; and how to report and view their repairs.

There was a good buzz around the place, and there were plenty of jokes being cracked here and there. The residents were extremely attentive as I went through each process with them. It was great for me to get out and see people who were eager to engage digitally. It was clear that they already understood the benefits of using My PA and getting online, but this visit highlights the importance of providing accessible training and support so we can give residents a little bit of confidence to engage more proficiently.

Before I left, one of the residents took me into the garden to show me her fruit and veg patch. She was very proud of her apple, plum, and pear trees, and told me that she plans to start a market stall through the summer.

It was an extremely valuable day for me, and for our residents at Shanti Court, who simply needed a bit of support to engage with My PA. It has highlighted how we're taking the right approach in providing this support and demonstrated how important it is for us all to find a way to meet residents and have that direct engagement. I left with a smile on my face, feeling a sense of achievement and knowing that I’d also built positive relationships with some valued residents. That’s what working for PA is all about!