Case Studies
Resident ‘A’ arrived at a Hillcrest home in March 2002 aged 28 years old. He had been in a Priority Care Trust placement prior to moving to the home.
He was allocated key workers who he had a good rapport with, and was supported in day to day living. On moving in Resident ‘A’ needed a lot of support in most areas, these ranged from his personal care to accessing the community and forms of communication, which, at this point, was mostly through ‘makaton’ (sign language).
A communication board was designed and personalised to him and his life i.e. family members, activities, staff on shift etc.
Six years on and he now speaks rather than signs, he is able to perform personal care tasks alone with a member of staff at hand, however this is more for his peace of mind as he rarely asks them for help.
His activities are now finely tuned to suit him and his likes and dislikes and preferences, and the staff have over the years learnt how to ‘read him’, which in turn ensures he gets the most from his life and continues to learn new skills and achieving positive outcomes in turn.
Nigels Story
In August 2008, I was asked by a Social Worker to assess Nigel, who required support. To say that Nigel's living conditions weren't great was an understatement but I was more concerned about his physical condition and appearance. The clothes he was wearing were all heavily soiled and had holes in them. His hair was greasy, his face was dirty, his teeth were all rotten and broken, his legs were ulcerated and his toenails were long and infected and were curling round making it impossible for him to wear shoes. He wore Velcro sandals.
Nigel is a heavy smoker and everything in his home was covered in a thick film of sticky yellow tar. He had no carpets throughout the flat. In his kitchen he had a fridge/freezer, which wasn't working, he had no washing machine and on top of the fridge was a pile of paperwork; which appeared to be everything that had been posted through his door in the last 2 years. His kitchen cupboards were rotten and falling apart and smelt of damp and mould.
The first step was for Sally Racey (Deputy Manager) and I to spend 2 hours with Nigel going through his paperwork. Amongst the free newspapers and junk mail we found a letter stating the way his benefits were to be paid was to change. He was to complete a form and return it; Nigel cannot read! We began the process of getting his benefits re-assessed. We also took a look under his sink. We found that a pipe had been leaking for some time causing the chipboard cupboards to turn to mush, giving a home to a family of worms!!
Then enter Support Workers Margaret and Gina. Wow what a combination!! Margaret was new to our service and Gina has been working for Hillcrest for 3 years. In 9 months with their hard work and perseverance Nigel's life has changed dramatically.
On a recent visit a happy smiling Nigel greeted me at the door. He was wearing new jeans and trainers. He has been diagnosed with Lymphoedema and is receiving treatment for his legs. Gina and Margaret have been supporting him with appointments at the Lymphoedema clinic and his legs are much better. He has seen a chiropodist, has been to the dentist and regularly has his hair cut.
Nigel proudly showed me around his flat. His Social Worker had liased with his housing provider who arranged for him to have a new kitchen and bathroom fitted and his brother has decorated throughout. He is receiving help with shopping and budgeting and his diet has improved greatly.
Nigel says that he is proud of his achievements and is happy to share his positive experience of Hillcrest with other people.
Tania Carter, Manager
Hillcrest Supported Living
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