Janice, who is supported in one of Potens’ residential services in Nottingham, has shared her story as well as some fantastic photographs of her recent trip to the ‘The Deep’ in Hull. This is a massive personal accomplishment for Janice who a few months ago would not go outside for longer than half an hour.
Manager Dave Ridley explains; “Janice’s life before moving into her new service last November had been very dull and empty, spending day after day in her previous home with nothing exciting or fulfilling to do with her time”
“We were told that Janice would not under any circumstances venture out of the home environment for more that 10-20 minutes at a time, that she would show challenging behaviours and become anxious and upset, causing her discomfort. Therefore she never went out into the community at her previous home.”
Since moving into her new service Janice’s quality of life has completely changed, thanks to the caring and determined team at her service who have never given up on her. As a result she is now venturing out for full day trips and outings without any anxiety, issues or upset.
Dave adds: “The staff team now have a good understanding and connection with Janice which helps them to communicate with her effectively. We have taken things slowly with the key aim to increase her confidence and experiences every day. It started with short outings to local shops where Janice would go for a little walk and buy something for her bedroom.”
The team then progressed to outings a little further a field going to a café – each time working to Janice’s pace and letting her lead the progress.
“We then started going on walks around the local area and in country parks where we would sit for a short while before walking back to her home. We got to understand that Janice loves being outdoors, in the fresh air, with a smile on her face and camera in hand, taking pictures of the scenery.” Dave adds.
This progress has resulted in Janice’s two full day trips firstly to ‘The Deep’ in Hull, and then to ‘Skegness’ for the day.
Dave concludes: “As a team we could not be more happy and proud of Janice for how far she has come and how well she is doing in her day to day life. She is now communicating well with Staff and service users; her behaviours have reduced, and she genuinely appears to be more comfortable, relaxed and content in her surroundings. As a team we will continue to support and encourage Janice to achieve everything she wants and go on to enjoy every minute of her life.”
