Liam is a young man with a hypoxic brain injury, who came to The Birches when his family members became dissatisfied with the support provided in his previous placements with other social care providers.
Support at The Birches
When he first arrived at The Birches, Liam was assigned two dedicated keyworkers and individually tailored care plans were developed, in line with his specific needs. He immediately began to receive one-to-one support from his core team, who worked closely with him to help him settle in to his new home.
At first, his support team noted that it was difficult to get Liam to communicate; he never initiated conversation, and would only respond to staff members with one word answers. His keyworkers worked closely with him to support him with his anxiety and build rapport, to enable Liam to feel comfortable communicating with them.
Everybody who lives at the service has their own personalised activities planner, which is updated weekly. Liam was encouraged to get involved in the programme of activities on offer at The Birches, and to pick up hobbies which are meaningful and enjoyable to him.
Achieving positive outcomes
Liam’s care team report that he has really come out his shell during the short time since he arrived at the home. Having previously been reluctant to talk to members of staff, he is now fully engaged, and has even began initiating conversation and speaking in full sentences.
Recently, Liam expressed his wish to become fitter and healthier, and has taken up hobbies such as bike riding, going to the gym and swimming, which he really enjoys. At Liam’s request, his keyworkers swim with him, which helps him with his anxious and self-conscious feelings. Within less than a month, Liam has lost nearly a stone of weight, and hopes to continue on his physical health journey, and build his confidence further.
The management at The Birches make sure to keep in touch with Liam’s family members, to ensure that they are fully informed about Liam’s life and progress, and have the opportunity to have an input into his care. The team have a great relationship with Liam’s family, and have received some really positive feedback from them.
“He hasn’t settled in so well anywhere else,” said Liam’s mother. “The dedication and support the staff have given him has been second to none. They are great with Liam and even though he's only been there a short amount of time, I have already noticed an improvement.”