How I’m keeping friends and family together
Steve is a locality manager for Brandon; he’s worked with us for four years and began as a team leader. He tells us about his journey in setting up a brand-new service for a group of young people in Yate.
Points of view
#25stories – one brother’s account
Simon was born into a very loving family. Our father was a hard working parish priest, and despite clergy incomes being quite low, our mother has never worked for an income, but always saw her role as full-time mother. We were both cared for so well, and our parents could not have done more to give us both as good a childhood as you could wish for.
#25stories – A worthwhile role
Mary is a student, an artist, and she works for Brandon as a Quality Checker. Having been supported by Brandon for the last year, Mary became part of the first group of Brandon Quality Checkers six months ago. Mary is keen to help make sure other people receive the same level of support that she does. And if she can help to improve support generally, that’s even better.
#25stories - Inclusive activities boosting engagement
At one flexible support service in Wiltshire, they are keen to enable everyone they support to take part in the sorts of activities that most people take for granted. In December 2018, they took a group of people ice-skating to the largest outdoor rink in the south-west.
#25stories – Evolving support gives people a chance at living
Tony began working in the care sector 37 years ago and for the last 25 years he has been supporting people with learning disabilities, autism or both.
As support has evolved, he has found he has more time working with people and providing direct support. This enables him to better support individuals to make their own choices, to give them time to do that. The difference time makes is obvious. He explains that one of the gentlemen he supports, Clarence, has gone from saying single words to short sentences.
Putting STOMP into practice
Some of the people living at one of Brandon’s registered care homes near Bristol came from long-stay institutionalised care, where they were prescribed medication which may – or, crucially, may not – benefit them.
STOMP is a health campaign to stop the overmedication of people with learning disabilities and/or autism, and improve their quality of life.
Hugh and Sophie are team leaders at the care home – here they describe the life-changing effects STOMP can have…
