For most of her life, Jacks – a person we support at our specialist care home Treddinoch, in Falkirk – faced challenges every day. She was born with cri-du-chat syndrome, a rare genetic condition, meaning Jacks has a moderate learning disability, communication differences, and difficulties regulating her emotions.
Because Jacks struggled to express herself verbally, for a long time her needs and wishes had been misunderstood and she grew increasingly frustrated. Alongside her other emotional challenges, her world became difficult to navigate. Without being able to effectively communicate what was on her mind or in her heart, she started presenting challenging behaviours.
For Jacks to manage her needs and have the best quality of life possible, she needed specialist support. Moving into her first care home as a young adult, she struggled to adapt to this new environment. Feeling her independence slipping away, she searched for a new home where compassionate, person-centred support would be tailored to her unique needs, respect her individual preferences, and empower her to live with independence.
That’s when Jacks found Treddinoch and our specialist support team who encourage her to be her authentic self, make decisions about her care and support, and live the fulfilling life she deserves.
Overcoming obstacles
Jacks joined the Treddinoch household in 1999. She was one of our first housemates and has been a valued member of our family ever since. Moving to Treddinoch marked the beginning of a big change for her and she experienced some obstacles early on.
She’d previously experienced some unsuccessful placements at other care homes. Unable to clearly express herself, her needs weren’t met, and she struggled with her emotions. Jacks started presenting complex behaviours as a way of trying to communicate her feelings.
Navigating lots of change and different environments had a negative effect on her. So, when she first arrived at Treddinoch, her behaviours created some challenges. But, from the day she joined us, our specially trained team were dedicated to supporting her to manage her behaviours and achieve positive outcomes. Understanding how her behaviours might be related to communication barriers, they explored some new ways for Jacks to express herself.
After trialling different communication methods with Jacks, it was clear verbal communication was still her preference. Getting to know her as a person, they understood how important it was for her happiness to be able to make her own decisions. And even though her disability limited her range of verbal communication, Jacks persisted even when others struggled to understand her. Respecting her choices, our team adapted to her preferred method of communication. They worked closely with her to pair her verbal communication with other cues they observed. Having space to express herself verbally, Jacks’ moods started to improve. Soon, the team could see she was empowered by having her choices respected and nurtured. From this, Jacks and her team grew closer, and their lines of communication strengthened even more.
Promoting positive wellbeing
Over the years, Jacks’ gradual communication progress boosted her self-confidence, and she started making achievements in other areas of her life. Previously, her behaviours stopped her from accessing the community for routine activities and important appointments – like medical and dental check-ups. Jacks also struggled to engage with other people outside the home, particularly healthcare professionals, only responding positively to her specialist support team at Treddinoch.
This was a testament to the incredible bond they’d built with Jacks. But, as the years went by, they knew attending routine health and medical appointments was increasingly important. So, they gently worked with Jacks to build trust with others and start to manage this important part of her life.
Before building up to visiting the doctor or the dentist, they worked with Jacks to make some wellbeing improvements at home. She was once reluctant to do personal care and take medication. By giving Jacks more choice and control over when she took a shower or had her medication, Jacks started to establish a daily wellbeing routine. With the freedom to make her own decisions, Jacks started engaging with others on a more personal level.
She enjoyed having her hair styled by her support team every day and started requesting her medication at times when she was ready to take it. Gently guided by her caring team, these small steps soon became big strides on her journey. Soon, she’d built up to attending appointments with her doctor and dentist!
Like any of us, Jacks has good and bad days. With her team’s support, she reduced her behaviours and built trust with others. Now, she’s achieving positive wellbeing outcomes, attending regular appointments, and finding confidence in other areas of her life.
Making decisions and achievements
Since joining us at Treddinoch, Jacks has been empowered to express herself and make decisions about her life. Feeling valued and respected, Jacks has regained her trust in others and achieve new things. From finding the confidence to go to the doctors, to going on her first holiday in 2019, Jacks has been encouraged to live a life without limits.
Over the course of 2025, Jacks has experienced even more growth and development. Previously reluctant to join in with group activities, her confidence has empowered her to explore a diverse range of activities, widen her social circle, and make solid decisions about all areas of her life. With the support of her specialist team, Jacks has even embraced another big change – choosing a whole new theme for her bedroom! She’s created a vibrant, personal haven that reflects her sparkling personality!
With an appetite for independence, Jacks has also invested in a new bright pink walking aid! This helps her safely move independently around the home and the community. She’s proud of her new walking aid and uses it carry things she likes to show other people – including the many postcards and keyrings she’s collected on her adventures in recent years. She also uses it to help around the house, tidying up the social areas and collecting washing-up items. She’s Treddinoch’s crowned dishwasher champion, taking extraordinary pride in ensuring the dishwasher is loaded and run. Using active support strategies, Jacks’ team have supported her to develop some cooking skills! She now makes her own breakfast each day.
The key to Jacks’ development has been giving her the voice she deserves, understanding how person-centred support works for her, and feeling empowered to openly express her wishes and needs. From this, she’s developed in unexpected ways. Reassured by her empathetic team, she navigated changes with ease, has built her confidence by trying new things, visiting new places, and building lasting memories with those she loves most.
Discover more!
Learn more about our person-centred learning disability support on our dedicated webpage.