Overview
Besides living with Autism, James also experiences Sotos Syndrome and Epilepsy. He was about to make a fundamental change when Leaf Complex Care was placed to support James in gaining greater independence. James’s story is inspirational in many ways, and we are delighted to be a part of his journey.
Reflecting on the Past: The Story of James
Prior to meeting James, his behaviour frequently escalated due to a lack of understanding and appropriate support. To help James thrive in his everyday life and progress by receiving the right support, the fundamental change began by creating a safe environment where James could feel like himself. Today, James is supported by Leaf Complex Care’s team and is getting the support he deserves in his own home.
Facing the Challenges
James found verbal communication complex, resulting in misunderstandings. Since James was taking antipsychotic medication, everything was more challenging for him, and that profoundly affected his behaviour and emotional well-being, negatively impacting him and his family.
How Meeting Our Support Workers Changed Everything
In James’ case, we provided him with a 2:1 support.
Our immediate action was to establish a caring support team for James, enabling us to identify his triggers and maintain his behaviour whenever needed. Recognising and understanding his triggers helped us create a safe environment for James where every act is focused on his overall well-being.
To meet James’s needs, Leaf Complex Care’s skilled support workers have implemented social stories and symbols to help James better understand and communicate. To reduce antipsychotic medication dependence, our support workers have taken non-drug therapies followed by practical support.
Jennie, James’ mum says: “We now know with a skilled staff team, James can learn – he’s learnt more in six months than he did in six years! He now gets his own drinks from a jug: he would never have been able to associate being thirsty and having a drink before.”
Maintaining a healthy diet and reducing stress levels was essential for James, and to enable James to live life on his own terms, the care team helped him manage his comfort eating habits by introducing daily pots of snacks with the days of the week clearly labelled.
“James is happy with his core team, and they are managing his behaviours well. He is able to live a life of his choosing, with the appropriate boundaries put in place by a team that now knows him well and enjoy working with him. He is seemingly the happiest he has ever been in his adult life.” – says his sister, Rhiannon Hardy.
The Impact of Leaf Complex Care’s Support Workers
Our goal for James was to help him move into his new home, where he is now supported 24/7 with consistent care and humanised approaches by our devoted support workers.
“When we first met James, he was understandably cautious of us, but now his confidence has grown. He often pops into the office to say hello. He’s a real joy to be around, and we especially love his cheekiness”. – says one of the Registered Managers at Leaf Complex Care.
“James’ family have indicated how happy they are with the quality and consistency of support. From the pre-planning stage through transition and the ongoing support – your team have provided excellent support for James.” – adds our Devon Partnership NHS Trust James Rowley, Learning Disability Nurse.
It has been a significant journey of progress and improvement for James. As a result, we’ve reduced James’ support from 2:1 to 1:1.
Jennie, James’s mum, adds: “There is no question for me that James’ life has improved beyond measure, and without a skilled team, this could not have happened.”
