John and Renaissance started working together in 2016. John had friends and a job, lived in his own flat, and seemed pretty content with his life, so why put Supported Living services in place?
To answer that question we have to look at how John was achieving success in these areas, and what difference having Supported Living could make, for both John and his family.
John receives great support from his sister, Carla, though, before having Supported Living services, managing all of his needs was sometimes challenging and stressful. She would get calls from the council most every month, because his lawns were overgrown. Carla says, “John doesn’t prioritise basic life needs like paying the power or cooking a meal. He wouldn’t attend doctor’s appointments, or any others, unless I took off work and went with him.” This resulted in a huge commitment of time and energy for her just to ensure these needs were met.
John acknowledges, “I’m not always the best with organisation. I’m good sometimes and not others. Left on my own, things tend to slip here and there.” At first John struggled to commit to his support time, but has since built up a great rapport with his SLF and wouldn’t want to change that. Because his sister was doing such a good job supporting him, John struggled to identify the difference Supported Living services made in his life, however his sister had no such qualms. Carla says, ““The difference for me is huge. Having Renaissance is a Godsend. Now it’s not me having to attend every appointment with him, because he won’t go if I don’t. I have more time to run my business and care for my kids.”
John has had a keen interest in astronomy since he was a child, and even though he would spend hours studying on his own, he never pursued it in any formal way. One day he and his Supported Living Facilitator went to the Astronomical Society for a lecture. John engaged in the lecture in such an informed way that the lecturer had him speak to the group about the new intervention to be included in the Mars 2020 Rover launch that will allow closer viewing of the stars. The result? John is now a member and sharing his passion and knowledge with others of similar interest and growing from their knowledge, and also from the social side of the experience.
His sister, Carla, is happy to see him get involved in a way that is outside of himself and a book or computer. She says, “No matter how passionate he was, he would never have done this on his own.”
Having Supported Living Services in place has allowed John to better manage his needs, pursue his passion and develop new social networks.
His sister acknowledges that the difference Supported Living services makes can be equally beneficial for the families, saying, “I’m much less stressed, because I know, if I have concerns, I ring Renaissance and it’s sorted.”
