A severely disabled woman in her early 40's contacted us. She was living in her own adapted extension attached to her parent's home, with her 76-year-old mother and 81-year-old blind father. She phoned us in distress her mother was feeling exhausted and Ms J. was obviously concerned and distressed because as she said "she loved her mother very much".
A series of home visits were arranged and it transpired that her Social Services department provided 3 hours of care in the morning and the Independent Living Fund provided overnight care. This left 11 hours during the day where sole responsibility for her physical personal care was left to her 76-year-old mother who was also the sole carer for her 81-year-old blind husband understandably she was exhausted.
With our support Ms J. undertook
a diary of her needs, armed with the legislation of the Carers
Recognition Act (1990) we successfully advocated to increase
her care by another 6 hours a day which was a great relief
to all of the family. As Ms J. reported "the SPF has helped
me enormously with my confidence and has encouraged me to be
lifted up to ask for my rights rather than feeling battened down".
Finding the right equipment can be difficult and often only in the realms of the "professional", who then become the gatekeepers to this information.
Our staff are always on the look out for innovative services and equipment sources. They found out about a revolutionary piece of equipment originally developed in Poland but now being imported by a company in England.
The Parapodium is a remarkable Walking Stand, it allows wheelchair users to stand independently and to walk with the help of swinging movements of the upper body. Our staff arranged a workshop to demonstrate the Parapodium to our client group. One particular client who has been a wheelchair user since being a victim of a hit and run accident when she was aged 17 couldn't wait to have a try on this equipment. She called it "fantastic"! It was the first time that she had stood up and talked to people at eye level and she was able to make a few small steps she was overjoyed! She now stomps along the corridor at home to the joy of her parents.
Support can take a variety of forms, but to Mr P it offered the time, knowledge and commitment we offer younger disabled people in finding the confidence to know that they can play a positive role in their communities. A 20 year old, disabled since a brain haemorrhage at the age of 16 which left him with left sided paralysis, Mr P lived with his totally devoted parents but became depressed and dejected by years of social isolation. Over a series of home visits and encouragement in taking part in some of our courses, our Project Manager negotiated a volunteer placement as a classroom assistant at a local school. He was anxious and concerned at first and hesitant about being responsible for helping to teach computer skills to primary school children. By accompanying him to his placement and listening to every detail of what he'd done and how he felt after each session, and after the children's curiosity about why one of his arms didn't work was satisfied, he built a secure and positive relationship with them. Mr P's confidence grew with each contribution he made to teaching the children.
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