Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
I’m in the trenches helping others now
Garry King is a fine example of how people can bounce back from the lows of substance or alcohol use and live a positive and productive life.
Garry and his son, also Garry, are volunteers with Lanarkshire charity Blameless and their experiences come from opposite sides of the spectrum.
They may share the same name but they have very different experiences of living with the impact of addiction.
Garry senior battled and overcame addiction issues, spending months in a rehab centre.
For a number of years he has worked with Blameless – located at the Hamilton Accies stadium – a charity for children who have been directly or indirectly affected by addiction or alcoholism.
He also spent four years as the football club’s community outreach manager and is now involved in a Wishaw-based project helping others overcome addiction issues.
Garry, senior, ofwishaw, said:“i’ve been an addict almost all my life, and I still consider myself that way. There are plenty of mind-altering substances out there, whether it’s guys getting methadone from the chemist, or the granny taking too many co-codamol. Anyone can fall into addiction.
“I decided to come back to my own town to work and give people some sort of fast-track signposting opportunities to help not only themselves but their families as well.
“We’ve had a community group; Gotogether, going through lockdown, based at St Andrew’s Church in Wishaw. On a daily basis I’m talking with at least half a dozen addicts in recovery, it’s sort of‘in the trenches’work.
“There are a lot of people confused about addiction and don’t see certain things as being problematic.
“We are trying to help people that are low in self-esteem and give them the tools to help them fend for themselves, and be open and honest.
There are different ways people can get involved. We want to create something family orientated. It’s about trying to improve social interaction and community, and having a good time doing that.
“We want to let people know that there is a solution to the way they’re living, and give them a bit of hope.
“People can and are changing their perception of life and getting well.”
Garry junior also uses his own life experiences to help others.
He said:“blameless is for children who have been affected by parents who have problems with addiction.
“I’m 32 but I’m a child of someone who had terrible problems with addiction. Sometimes when you have outsiders with no experience the children can say,‘well you don’t know what it’s like’, whereas I have first hand experience. I can say,‘this is my dad and he is a drug addict’. He gets to come at it from the side of being an addict and I am a family member of someone who is.”
Care home residents in Monklands are set to receive their second dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
NHS Lanarkshire was the first health board in Scotland to vaccinate those living in care homes against Covid-19, and has now started administering the follow-up dose of the vaccine to eligible residents across Lanarkshire.
More than 3000 care home residents in the NHS Lanarkshire area have already received the first dose of the Pfizer-biontech vaccine.
Trudi Marshall, Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire nurse director, who is managing the care home vaccination programme across the whole of Lanarkshire, said: “Care home residents are amongst our most vulnerable residents so I know it will be greatly reassuring to residents and their loved ones that we are now administering the vaccine’s second dose.
“Health and social care staff continue to work closely with care home staff every step of the way to keep residents as safe as possible.
“The co-operation between our staff and care home staff has been exceptional; it is the perfect example of team work designed to protect our older people from this terrible pandemic.”
Trudi, pictured, left, again stressed the ongoing importance of physical distancing, hand-washing and face coverings.
She said: “This second dose for our most vulnerable residents is another important step to further protecting them. The public vaccination programme is also making good progress. However, I must stress that the vaccine is only one element in a wider range of ways we can keep ourselves and loved ones safe from – and cut down transmission of – Covid-19.
“It is essential that everyone, who can, continues to follow FACTS guidance closely.
“This means continuing to wear face coverings, keeping a two metre distance and ensuring environmental cleaning is carried out regularly.
“Cleaning hands regularly is also vital in preventing transmission.
“This remains the most effective way of preventing Covid-19 transmission across the whole of Lanarkshire.”
As part of the vaccination programme planning process it was acknowledged that there will have been residents who were not eligible to receive the vaccine at the planned time for a number of reasons.
These included not being 28 days post-covid infection or being unwell on the day of vaccination.
As a result, further visits to care homes have taken place to ensure all eligible residents receive the first dose of their vaccine and this is continuing where necessary.