Respite support for Sarah

When Sarah came to stay at Haymill, the team were advised that kitchen cupboards and the fridge had to be kept locked as well as doors to rooms like the laundry. Sarah exhibited her unhappiness and distress through her behaviour and taking her outside of her comfort zone was increasingly more challenging.

Over time, by working with guidance from our positive behaviour colleagues, the support team were able to use positive risk taking to understand what Sarah was communicating through her behaviours. Sarah had routines that she couldn’t communicate verbally – she wanted to check on where her bag was in the laundry room or if her favourite foods were in the fridge or cupboards. If cupboards and doors were left unlocked, once she’d checked these things, she was able to move on. The team realised that Sarah also liked moving back and forth in the kitchen to feel part of what was going on with the people she lived with. Sarah had never allowed anyone in her personal space nor wanted to share it with others. The respite team developed these relationships by slowly encouraging her to listen to her favourite nursery rhyme on the TV in the shared lounge. She enjoyed and it became the norm for everybody to join in and sing and dance during these moments.

By building trust in these connections, Sarah began to feel happy and more confident to be supported to go out to the shop or pay for her own things or to go for a walk. Reports of incidents dropped dramatically, and Sarah became much calmer and began smiling. The team continued to support her to build the independence skills needed to help her move into a permanent supported living arrangement. Sarah’s communication had increased impressively from the use of a few keywords when she first joined to communicating in sentences. Her parents were overjoyed and made a special request for the Haymill team to participate in supporting her to move into her new home.