Sheila's story
Person-centred active support
Sheila has been living at a house supported by United Response in Oldham for the last eight years. Since the house introduced Person-centred Active Support, Sheila’s confidence has grown and she has become more interested in taking part in activities outside of the house.
Before the introduction of Person-centred Active Support at the house, Sheila was largely disengaged.
She was reluctant to go outside and would often not want to get washed or dressed. She lacked confidence and, despite trying out different diets, was overweight. Her behaviour was often aggressive and challenging for staff.
Staff saw very little progress in Sheila’s level of engagement until they started actively adopting person-centred approaches. They introduced a morning routine and worked with Sheila to find out the things she was interested in, so she knew when to get up and had something to get up for.
They would knock on Sheila’s door once. If she didn’t get up they would go back every few minutes and knock again. Sheila reacted very angrily.
But gradually she started to get up after only a few knocks. Now she gets up and washes, dresses and tidies every morning.
Sheila was clearly unhappy about her weight. Staff supported her to go to Weight Watchers but Sheila found the weigh-ins distressing, particularly on the weeks when her weight had increased.
Staff tried a different approach and put together word and picture documents to help Sheila know which foods were good for her and which weren’t. They had their own weigh-ins, encouraging Sheila even if her weight had increased.
Along with everyone else in the house, Sheila now puts together her own menu each week. She eats more healthily and staff are supporting her to go to keep fit classes.
As Sheila’s confidence has grown she has become more interested in taking part in activities outside the house. Staff support her to go and see local shows and she enjoys karaoke nights and a drink at the local pub. She also has a paid job one day a week at the United Response office in Oldham.
It is not only Sheila who has benefited from the introduction of Person-centred Active Support. There has also been a noticeable improvement in communication in the house and improved staff morale.
Sheila has given permission for her story and photograph to be used.