The road to independence and happiness

Learn how someone we support has successfully found employment, is using his skills, and is now doing all things he loves…

“S” first moved into supported living accommodation in Surrey in 2014. He had high anxiety and was not entirely comfortable with social surroundings, especially with crowds and interacting with newer, unfamiliar people.

Having difficult relationships with some of his family, “S” needed a place for him to grow and develop, learn to handle some of his emotions, and finally feel comfortable within the surrounding settings. “S” initially struggled with processing his emotions, and frustrations quickly led to angry outbursts, which resulted in some of his property being damaged. He repeatedly faced difficulty in maintaining basic hygiene and cleanliness of his own room and belongings.

Through person-centered support and working with the team members at his home, he has learned to control his emotions. He has learned to walk away from situations that frustrate or stress him out, maintain more self-control, and retain his property’s value. He also now routinely comes down to socialise with team members and others we support, enjoying movie nights with team members, or watching TV.

“Wth help, “S” has maintained fixed times to clean his room. He is now sitting downstairs to eat at a table instead of on the floor with just his plate and fingers. He is not only cleaning his room but also cleaning himself and maintaining improved hygiene. Now, he shaves regularly, gets haircuts and buys nice new clothes that fit him, washing them carefully, and drying them appropriately.

“S” also now works at Earlswood lakes twice a week, which he thoroughly enjoys, working with strangers, learning new handy skills, and working his muscles. He comes back glowing with excitement for the next day he can work, waiting for the next project. He has gone from breaking controllers to building a shed. Learning how to build things has become an interest for “S”, growing his curiosity about how things work and building inspiration to seek more work during the week, and is looking to increase his work by an additional 3 days.

“S” also often visits his grandmother and aunty, who he now holds a good relationship with. The team has supported him to learn to not blame others for circumstances that are out of their control, not to be jealous of things he can’t control but to be proud of his own accomplishments.

“S” has grown, developing his own personal skills, building interests and curiosities to entertain himself, becoming more comfortable with and around people even those he’s not familiar with, shown with prompts and support.

It’s a wonderful story of success for this person, and a real team effort by him, his family, and his support team.

 

If you’d like support from our specialist support teams, just let us know by contacting us at our referrals hub.