Nathan is a person we support at Astbury View, one of our residential care homes in the West Midlands. He has cerebral palsy and a mild learning disability. Before moving to Astbury View, Nathan lived with his family and attended a special education needs school.
When Nathan left school, his family recognised that he would need residential support. That’s when Nathan discovered Voyage Care. In 2015, Nathan moved into Astbury View and he hasn’t looked back since!
When we first met Nathan, he lacked confidence. Despite this, he was determined to progress and learn new things. With our support, Nathan has accomplished many goals, increased his social interaction in the community and has unveiled a natural talent – singing and dancing to his favourite music!
A smooth transition
To help Nathan settle into life at Astbury View at his own pace, we applied a slow and smooth transition.
Our team worked closely with Nathan’s Social Worker to understand his support needs. Nathan required support in many areas, including personal care, preparing his meals, administering medication and full activity and community support.
To ensure a smooth transition, Nathan began with regular visits to his new home to familiarise himself with the surroundings and meet his new housemates.
As he visited more frequently, Nathan began to build a connection with the environment and the people.
Once his family and Social Worker agreed the environment was suitable, Nathan’s moving in process began.
Nathan chose his new bedroom, and his family helped move in all his personal belongings! Together, Nathan, his family and support team then gave his room a fresh lick of paint – red, specifically chosen by Nathan.
With his sparkling new room ready, Nathan already felt at home.
Taking a person-centred approach
Once Nathan had moved in, our specialist team took a person-centred approach to getting to know him. Nathan was initially shy and lacked confidence, so our team worked hard to ensure Nathan felt comfortable in his new environment.
His support team persevered and asked Nathan different questions to learn more about him. As he began to come out of his shell, his team go to know all about his interests, preferences and life goals.
Together with Nathan, they created him a person-centred care plan tailored to his passions, interests and goals. They discovered Nathan loves all things music and dancing, watching quiz shows on TV and playing snooker.
They explained he was in control of his care and his plan was flexible, meaning he could try new activities when he wished.
Nathan’s team also involved his family, giving them reassurance that Nathan was in good hands!
As Nathan did more, his confidence began to shine, enabling him to find a new sense of self-discovery.
Becoming a social butterfly
As Nathan’s confidence grew, he was eager to get stuck into even more activities. His social interactions increased, and he’s since built meaningful relationships with his support team and housemates.
Nathan can’t contain his excitement when the music goes on. He regularly becomes the home DJ and loves to dance with everyone! And when Astbury View hosts a party… Nathan is always at the centre of the action!
With newfound confidence, Nathan’s next goal was to increase his time in the community. His support team gradually planned small trips out to the local park, always ensuring Nathan is comfortable.
Step by step, Nathan visited more places on his travels. He now ventures out to restaurants, the shops and the local pub for a game of snooker with his team.
Nathan’s confidence has well and truly blossomed, and he’s become a real social butterfly! He loves to interact with others, showing off his beaming smile!
Nathan has really benefitted from exploring the community and meeting new people. It’s done wonders for his confidence!
Laura Cartwright, Service Manager
Future goals
With our support, Nathan is living a happy and fulfilled life, and we couldn’t be prouder.
He’s created an environment at Astbury View that’s personal to him, and he’s living the life he deserves.
Nathan’s journey doesn’t stop here! More exciting achievements are just round the corner.
One of Nathan’s future goals is to go on a holiday. He’s already had a chat with his support team, and has decided he wants to go to Blackpool. We will support Nathan all the way so he can go on his dream holiday!
Nathan also wants to attend a pop concert for the first time. He prides himself around music and fulfilling this goal would be a huge achievement for Nathan. We will work closely with Nathan so he can safely attend a concert of his choice.
Watch this space, Nathan will soon be singing and dancing the night away!
Find out more!
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