Emily is a person we support at one of our supported living flats in Surrey. She has a learning disability and some mobility needs. Before joining us, she lived at home with her parents, but she was determined to increase her independence and develop new life skills, so that she could one day live on her own.
Even though she struggled with the idea of leaving her family home, Emily was determined to build a life of her own. She knew she would need some support to increase her independence and establish the life she wanted. And that’s when she found Voyage Care!
To prepare herself for life away from home, Emily began attending one of our day centres twice a week and she settled in quickly. Two happy years later, we supported Emily to move into one of our supported living flats. Since then, she’s embarked upon a journey of fulfilment, establishing a bright future with support focusing on her independence!
Attending our day centre
When Emily first joined our day centre, she lacked confidence and struggled with essential daily living skills, such as cooking and cleaning. Without these skills, she struggled to embrace her independence.
To help her build these skills, our team introduced her to small tasks including cookery sessions and tidying up around the day centre. Emily quickly warmed to these activities and they helped to increase her social interactions with others.
As she made steady progress at the day centre, Emily’s confidence was soaring. Her face lit up each day and she was beaming with pride and self-belief. With growing confidence came a bigger goal: moving into a place of her own.
After chatting with the manager at the day centre, Emily learned about a new supported living development close by. Emily knew this could be an opportunity for her and she was excited to learn more.
Transitioning to supported living
After discussing the supported living flats with her family and the day centre Manager, Emily felt ready to make the move.
To make this dream a reality, we then worked with Emily and her family to arrange a viewing, followed by the relevant assessments to ensure her support needs could be met.
Throughout the assessment and the transition period, we also worked alongside other professionals involved with Emily’s support. This included Emily’s Social Worker, broader social services and her Occupational Therapist.
Once they were happy that the environment was suitable for Emily’s needs, the moving in process began.
Emily arrived with her family. They met her new support team and helped her settle into her new home. From the moment Emily arrived, our team encouraged her to make the flat her home and adapt it to her own taste and style. She didn’t hesitate! Her family helped her decorate the flat just how she wanted it.
We worked with Emily to ensure her new home met her mobility needs too. This included making adjustments to her front door so it could be opened using a button. This helped Emily operate the door easier when going in and out of her new home.
Our slow and steady approach to Emily’s transition meant, initially, she only stayed at the flat for a few days at a time and went home on weekends.
As Emily’s confidence grew, she increased her time in the flat. Emily now lives at the flat full time and receives one-to-one support, seven hours a day. Our support is helping Emily progress, while her time alone allows her to develop her independence.
Thriving off person-centred support
When Emily moved into her new home, her support team took time to understand her interests, preferences, and how she wanted to live her life.
Together, they created a person-centred support plan, centred around her passions. Our team learned that Emily’s favourite activities included visiting the day centre, bowling, shopping, and swimming.
They used an activity planner so Emily knew what was happening each day. They kept her schedule flexible, empowering Emily to take control of her life and try new things as she wishes.
Each outing into the community helped Emily move forward in her journey to independence. With her support team on hand to guide her as she learned valuable new skills. Emily can confidently use a shopping list when she goes shopping. And she’s also developed her money management skills.
As Emily did more, her confidence grew, and she blossomed into a new, more confident version of herself.
Emily has transformed into the independent women she’s always wanted to be. Our support has enabled her to gain confidence and discover her passion’s in life.
Alina Vrabie, Branch Manager
Increasing independence with volunteering
Since moving into her own home, Emily has continued attending the day centre she previously visited and when an opportunity arose for her to volunteer at the centre, she was keen to get involved!
Emily’s support team explained everything about the role to her, and she was eager to get stuck in. She saw it as an opportunity to develop her independence even further.
On Emily’s first day, she had a gentle introduction, helping out with cleaning, tidying and organising the mail, and she quickly got to grips with everything!
This has been a massive step for Emily, and it’s done wonders for her confidence. It’s given her more independence and a sense of what it’s like to be in a working environment.
Achieving new heights
Emily has navigated an incredible journey since joining us.
We’ve supported her in many areas, and she can now manage her own home! Emily does many daily living tasks independently, like washing her dinner plates, cooking for herself, doing her own laundry and managing her own post.
Emily has also improved her social skills. She’s got to know other people we support nearby, and has created a sense of belonging. Emily often meets up with them to create artwork, bake, and play games in the garden.
Emily’s achievements don’t stop there – she’s now become a Voyage Care Quality Checker!
When Emily’s support team saw the advert, they knew it was for her. Emily instantly got excited, and her team explained everything to her about the role.
Emily now visits our services across the country, supporting us to manage our properties and deliver excellent care and support. With her insights, we build a picture of our homes from the perspective of a person receiving our support.
As part of her role as a Quality Checker, Emily also recommends areas we can improve our care. This helps us make meaningful changes to the support we deliver every day.
Future goals
Since joining us in 2022, Emily’s come a long way on her journey to greater independence – and she’s assured us this is only the start!
One of Emily’s future goals is to order her own medication and book medical appointments. Emily’s support team will help her gain confidence using the NHS app until she can make bookings independently.
Emily has also found a new passion for writing – and has set her sights on writing in the Voyage Care newsletter! We will support Emily all the way with this and explore other ways she can get stuck into writing.
With the support of our expert team, Emily is on a mission, accomplishing her goals along the way. She’s living her dreams and experiencing life to the fullest, and we’re proud to be part of that!
Find out more!
Learn more about how we can support you, a loved one, or a client to live their best lives. Complete our quick and easy enquiry form and a member of our team will be in touch!