“He’s got an excellent care team”
Alex is a client at one of our Learning Disability Supported Living Services.
His father, Andrew, speaks about how his son Alex is supported and why he enjoys living at one of our services:
“I have peace of mind. I feel he’s safe.
I’m so pleased where he is. He’s very happy there and he lives in a delightful area. I think moving there was a turning point for him – and for me.
He’s felt the difference since moving from South London. Unfortunately, during his years in South Croydon, things weren’t easy. There weren’t regular care workers – agency workers were used.
Here, he gets very individual, good attention from his team who’ve got to know him so well. He doesn’t like change but he’s settled in well. It gives me a lot of pleasure to know he’s as happy as he can be.
My son is severely autistic and suffers from epilepsy. He’s disturbed by certain situations. He can get unsettled at times. But the team seems to cope with it very well, including his seizures, which he developed in his teens and that have to be managed properly.
I know he enjoys the company of the team looking after him and they always seem pleased to work with him. They make it clear that they welcome him there. They give him as much pleasure as they can in his life.
He’s an active man. He loves being out and about. When he was a lot younger and at home with us, he enjoyed outings. He now looks forward so much to being taken out – sometimes to local attractions, sometimes to Littlehampton and Arundel. He has a Motability vehicle and I intend to continue that for him.
He’s got an excellent care team. As a father of a severely disadvantaged child, I understand it takes a lot of patience and understanding. My daughter and I go to see him when we can. I wish I could be nearer to him sometimes.
It I can’t visit him, I phone the service and speak to the manager on a regular basis. They are always welcoming my calls and my visits which is good news. They’ve done very, very well I would say.
He’s very happy there. They meet his needs which is important for me as a father. I want him to enjoy life as much as possible.
I can’t see that there would be a better service for him at this time of his life.”
Southdown manages supported living services across Sussex. Supported living is where an individual owns or rents their own home and has control over the support they get and how they live their lives.
Accommodation and support is provided separately. It can be very different for different people. For one person, supported living might be a few hours of support a week to enable them to live independently by themselves in a rented flat. For another it may be around the clock support in a shared house or self-contained flat.
