Learning Disability Week is a time to celebrate those we work with. We’re showcasing the many wonderful people who help make the lives of others better.
David leads a team of support workers in Eastleigh who support 12 individuals living in eight locations. David and his team provide floating support. Which is essentially independently living support. They assist with:
- shopping
- cooking
- maintenance/cleaning their homes
- medical appointments
- basic financial budgeting
These support hours range from just over 13 hours to around 24 hours per week. This Learning Disability Week David wants to share some delightful stories with us. Thanks David!
David’s team
My team consistently do an amazing job providing support in meeting these needs. All with their energy, commitment, following processes and various good practice tools. Our challenge is being creative with time in supporting these individuals to access the community. This includes being social, like meeting friends, family and staying connected with their community. Below are some of the examples of the work we do in meeting this emotional need.
Animal lover Clare
Clare loves animals. But unfortunately, her tenancy does not allow her to have animals in her home. Staff have supported her to engage with a website “Borrow my doggy”, so now Clare regularly walks dogs for people in her local community that need help in this area.
Birthdays
Although the majority of our work is done alone, staff stay connected with each other daily via work phones. This allows us to keep in touch about events. It helps us arrange spontaneous and planned activities with the people we support. These include birthdays, of course. Birthdays are so important as some of our clients have known each other for more than 40 years! And in some cases, have lived together. They would not be able to arrange these gatherings or meet ups without our support.
Paula sees her mum
Paula doesn’t go out much these days since her day service closed. This has affected her self-esteem as this was her way of meeting people. Paula has only one family member, her mother. Staff encourage Paula to stay in touch with her via the phone. Because of our staff’s emotional support and encouragement Paula decided she would like to visit her mother. Staff arranged and supported her to go out and meet in a pub. This made a difference to Paula’s mental well-being.
Carol’s second sight
Recently, Carol had a long-standing cataract operation that was delayed due to COVID. This was a game changer for her and gave Carol a new lease of life. Staff were very active in advocating for Carol to get her operation as a priority. Carol is now able to do something she has not been able to for years due; “Jigsaw Pizzelles”. Carol wants this photo shared amongst the team so we could show her friends what she was doing.
Many of these things may seem small. Say, when compared to sky diving for example. But they have made such a difference to each and every one of our clients. They have contributed to their happiness in ways that really matter to them.
Having said that, if anyone does want to sky dive, we’ll do our best to support them. But only after a risk assessment, of course!
We hope you enjoyed reading about the people we work with and will celebrate Learning Disability Week with us!
