Student inspired by family situation to play his part on frontline

A GCU Masters student has got involved in the frontline fight against coronavirus – after his Gran was left housebound due to lockdown.

Conor Mullen felt he had a role to play as both a family member and Social Work student, resulting in him volunteering as a home support with Glasgow City Council.

After completing shadow shifts, Conor is now being sent out to protect the most vulnerable in the Denistoun and Haghill areas of the city.

He said: “I chose home support because I was aware they were really struggling to get it covered in our area.

My Gran is relying on it and I would definitely say that inspired me to get involved - she can’t get out the house and is totally isolated.

There are so many others in the same situation and I just wanted to do something positive and try to help out as much as possible.”

He added: “I was slightly apprehensive, however I feel like I have a bit of a duty as a Social Work student. We all have to pull together and do our bit at times like this.”

Despite the challenges, Conor admits that this has been the ideal opportunity to develop further for his future career.

He explained: “I work on the weekend at GAMH, which is more focused around giving individuals social support.

That definitely helped prepare me for this as it made everything a little less daunting – especially in regards to going into people’s homes.

It is still a bit surreal having to go in wearing an apron, gloves and a mask. Some people with mental health issues understandably find it difficult and it can be upsetting for old people with dementia.

Connor added: “This is something I would have never been involved in under normal circumstances - it’s given me that experience which can only be of benefit for the future.

I’ve also got a new found respect for home support staff as well, in terms of how much work they actually do.”

By Ross Clark

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