‘My one goal is to re-gain my skills’: Linda settles in at our Doncaster supported living service!
In December, Linda moved from a respite home to a Lifeways supported living service in Doncaster – and she’s been thriving ever since.
Linda’s in her fifties. She’s spent much of her life living with her parents in Rotherham. This meant Linda had not previously received any professional support.
Then, after a series of tragedies which saw both her parents pass away and Linda in hospital, she moved to a nearby respite service in Rotherham.
Unfortunately, the respite service was not able to meet Linda’s needs.
Life at the respite service didn’t give Linda a lot of independence, and trips outdoors were mostly confined to walks around the service’s garden.
Aided by a support partnership between Linda’s local authority, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, and Doncaster Council, Linda began looking at supported living services in Doncaster.
One service Linda visited was a Lifeways supported living service, a shared house that’s home to two other ladies of a similar age, Maureen and Michelle.
Feeling welcome
Both Maureen and Michelle are non-verbal – a fact that due to Linda’s communication style, made her a “little bit apprehensive at first,” recalls Jo Sutherland, Linda’s Service Manager.
“But after thinking about it, Linda decided that she would like to come and live at our service.”
Since moving into the service, Linda's been able to make her own healthy meals.
Linda says that since she moved in, she’s been building relationships with her housemates and her support team.
“I get on well with the other ladies, and staff have made me feel welcome,” says Linda.
Regaining skills
Now she’s settled in at the Doncaster supported living service, Linda’s busy becoming more independent.
“My one goal is to regain my in-house skills,” says Linda. This means doing household chores like cleaning and laundry, and cooking her own healthy meals - receiving support from our team when desired.
Doing your own laundry is better when you've just bought new outfits!
Linda’s also found plenty of time for fun. She recently travelled on the Northern Belle, the luxury rail service, and enjoyed a six-course meal and drinks onboard. You can see a picture of Linda on the trip at the top of this article!
In preparation for the day out, Linda went out shopping with her support team to buy new outfits.
‘A marvellous time’
“She had a marvellous time,” Jo Sutherland says. “Linda really enjoyed the trip, and enjoyed telling us all about it.”
Linda’s also booked to see a show at the theatre, and is looking through brochures to plan her holiday this year.
An added bonus of moving to Doncaster is that Linda now lives just minutes away from her brother, Martyn, who she enjoys a close relationship with.
“It's gone great since Linda moved in,” says Martyn. “Her general attitude, demeanour, and mental state is a lot better.”
“Linda has come out her shell again,” Martyn adds. “As where she was [the respite service] had caused her to shrink inside herself. Now, she’s laughing and jollier about life.”
Linda's supported living service is shared with two other ladies of a similar age - so there's company when desired!
Jo and the support team she leads are delighted at how Linda is already thriving - in just one month of living at the service.
The team have a lot of enthusiasm in their conversations around Linda, Jo adds, due to Linda’s “massive big personality and life she’s brought to the house.”
“Linda’s just settled in really well, and is living her best life,” says Jo.
Great to her your story, Linda!
About Lifeways:
Lifeways, alongside Living Ambitions, which is part of the group, operates many supported living services in and around Doncaster.
Lifeways is the UK’s largest team of support professionals providing support for adults in the community.
We support adults with diverse and complex needs, including learning disabilities, autism, physical disabilities, acquired brain injuries, and mental health conditions.
As the supported living sector’s largest team of professionals, Lifeways’ extensive experience and national reach mean we deliver extraordinary support to adults, enabling them to live fulfilling and independent lives in the community.
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