Chris is a person we support at Esmer House, our specialist Prader-Willi syndrome residential care home in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. He has Prader-Willi syndrome and type-2 diabetes.
Since we last caught up with Chris, he’s continued to smash his goals and embark on a life full of happiness, accomplishment and even more confidence!
Passionate and person-centred
Our team at Esmer House are passionate about person-centred care and put Chris at the heart of decision making when it comes to his support. Through this approach, Chris feels listened to, valued, and has grown his confidence as he creates the life he wants and pursues new activities.
This approach has also been applied to his structured meal plan. Because Chris has Prader-Willi syndrome, regulating his appetite is a struggle. So, his team support him to eat within his calorie requirements and mix up his meal choices. Part of our person-centred approach is supporting Chris to establish and work towards new goals, so he lives a life that’s meaningful to him.
New achievements
With support and guidance from his expert team, Chris has gradually built up his independent living skills. Over time, he’s worked up to cleaning his own bedroom and bathroom. This has empowered Chris to help his team with the laundry and he’s not stopping there! Chris is also embracing visiting the local community. He regularly visits the shops and plays snooker with his housemates.
When it comes to accessing the local community, he still requires one-to-one support with food management, his finances, and medication. With his team supporting him with these tasks, he’s confidently discovering new activities.
One of Chris’ other goals was to get more physically active and lose a little weight. Taking part in regular exercise has helped Chris smash his weight loss goal and manage his diabetes more easily.
Our support has helped Chris live a happy and healthy life at Esmer House. He’s grown in confidence and enjoys lots of fun activities in the community.
Georgia Cooper, Senior Support Worker
Volunteering work
Chris is a man on a mission, and his next goal was to secure some volunteering work. When his team discovered a role as a waiter at a local café, they discussed this opportunity with Chris.
He was keen to get stuck in, but due to his Prader-Willi syndrome, a lot of consideration had to be given to ensure the environment was safe and wouldn’t have a negative impact on his wellbeing. With food easily accessible, we worked with the team at the café to ensure Chris would be guided, supported and kept safe.
Everything aligned and Chris began his first shift. Since starting his new job, he’s settled in wonderfully with the team. He’s also gained so much more confidence and independence from learning what’s it’s like in a workplace environment.
Chris has enjoyed his role at the café so much, he’s since taken on a second waiter volunteering role at a community restaurant. He now works three days a week waiting and serving food to the public.
Jetting off abroad!
One of Chris’ biggest goals was to go on holiday. As he gained more confidence in the community and understood the importance of dietary management, our team identified the right time to start planning this with him.
Chris’ team organised the trip and updated him on all the details, so he felt prepared and involved. His team safely managed his diet and exercise before the holiday, so he could have some extra treats while he was away.
After he jetted off, Chris had the best time and quickly got the itch for another trip. He’s now been on a few holidays with his team and feels grateful to have reached this milestone.
Chris is thriving
Chris has been on a journey to fulfilment since joining us. He’s more confident and has significantly improved his health and wellbeing.
He understands more clearly why his Prader-Willi syndrome needs to be managed, and he’s motivated to stay active and eat healthily.
He’s also made huge strides with his independence. Taking on volunteering work has taken Chris to the next level and supported him to integrate into his local community.
When it comes to living a fulfilling, independent life, Chris isn’t standing still, and we can’t wait to see what’s next!
Find out more!
To find out more about our specialist Prader-Willi syndrome support and how we can help you, a client, or a loved one, fill out our quick form and a member of the team will get back to you.