Empowering health and happiness at longmore Road

Longmore Road is our specialist care home in Berkshire, providing person-centred support to seven ladies, each with their own unique needs. From epilepsy and Angelman syndrome to Bipolar disorder and end of life care, our specialist team supports them with many physical and emotional health needs.

Championing positive health and wellbeing, our team identified a unique opportunity for the people we support in 2024, when they collaborated with The Advocacy People – an organisation campaigning for the rights of people with a learning disability and other support needs.

The Advocacy People visited our home to deliver a fun, interactive health education session. We caught up with Service Manager, Linda, to uncover what they learnt and what everyday health and happiness looks like at Longmore Road!

Highlighting health and happiness

Everyone at Longmore Road loves to feel empowered about their health and learn new things. So, when The Advocacy People delivered their health education session, they were excited!

The Advocacy People worked with our team to communicate information in a way that was comfortable for the ladies we support. They used flash cards, featuring words relating to various health settings, like doctor’s surgeries, and pictures of medical professionals who might work there.

The cards were tailored specifically to Longmore Road, showing photos of their local health centre and the people working there! The cards prompted the people we support to discuss how they felt about going to their doctor’s surgery. They were encouraged to express their experiences and, supported by our team, everyone shared their stories and voiced their opinions.

The session also supported them to feel reassured and empowered about the health knowledge they already had. Throughout the session, the people we support were listened to and their opinions taken seriously. Strongly advocating for inclusion and equal rights, Service Manager Linda was thrilled with this outcome!

Everyday advocacy

Linda and our team understand the value of good health, ensuring the ladies we support are empowered to manage their health and get the medical support they need. Using person-centred care, they ensure the ladies we support receive care tailored to their needs and preferences.

With this approach, they know the ladies as individuals and can quickly spot when they aren’t feeling well. For some, this approach has had a deeper effect.

Ayesha’s achievement

When Ayesha joined us, she used food as a source of comfort. She was overweight and our team knew this could negatively affect her health. They were passionate about supporting Ayesha to live a long, healthy life. So, they arranged for a dietitian to support her to make gradual changes in her diet and gently encouraged her to join them on regular walks. Eventually, Ayesha completed a sponsored walk, raising money for charity! She lost weight in the process and established long-term changes, like sticking to regular mealtimes. Now, Ayesha’s healthy and happy!

Ziela’s unexpected health journey

In 2020, Ziela found a lump on her breast. At the time, she wasn’t very aware of breast cancer, self-checking for lumps, or screening procedures and was very concerned. Understanding how scary this was for Ziela, our team accompanied her to a doctor’s appointment.

Fortunately, Ziela’s lump wasn’t cancer. Even though she and her support team were relieved, it brought a new layer of awareness to them. They arranged for their local breast nurse to visit the home and deliver a training session on self-checking for lumps and bumps. Now, our housemates and team are all fully informed on how to self-check their breasts for signs of cancer. They also check up on each other to ensure everyone’s regularly checking for lumps, bumps, rashes, and sores.

Support at every stage

Our team are experts in many areas of social care and support, including end of life care. They provide compassionate support, promoting dignity and comfort in someone’s final moments.

As part of their approach to wellbeing, the ladies we support at Longmore Road are encouraged to build close relationships with each other and truly value these bonds. When they do lose a member of their family, our team approaches the situation with sensitivity and respect. They ensure the people they’ve loved and lost are still at the heart of the home and their memory is celebrated and treasured.

Continued commitment

Our team at Longmore Road are committed to continuous professional development, ensuring the ladies we support have the best care possible. They regularly seek out additional training opportunities, so they can respond to changing needs. So far, they’ve organised many different training sessions, including bipolar disorder training with a Psychologist.

With dedication and heart, Longmore Road has blossomed into an inspiring community where health, happiness, and respect are at the centre of everything they do.