Glossary Snippits
Learning Disabilities - The World Health Organisation define "Learning Disabilities" as "a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind". The term is a diagnosis, NOT a physical or mental illness to be treated through the usual medical channels. As such, support for those with learning disabilities has moved towards a social model of inclusion and integration.
Learning Difficulties - Some people prefer the term "learning difficulties" to "learning disabilities". In fact, this is the term which is endorsed by People First, an international advocacy organisation. However, within the UK learning difficulties is usually used to refer to children with specific learning problems arising from medical, emotional and language problems, which are sometimes treatable.
Autism - Defined by Wing & Gould (1978) as a Triad of Impairment, Autism is a condition arising from the interaction of three impairments; social relationships, social communication and imagination. All three must be evident to diagnose someone as autistic.
Person Centred Plan (PCP) - Person Centred Planning has been developed as a method for people with learning disabilities to plan for what they want now and in the future, with the help of people in their lives who they both like and trust. Planning is carried out using person centred tools including MAPS, PATH, Personal Futures Planning and Essential Lifestyle Planning. All these tools have common elements, such as, the person is at the centre, families and friends are closely involved, reflective of what is important to the person and their capacities, specifies the support the individual needs to make a valued contribution to the community, builds a shared commitment and leads to continual listening and learning about what the person wants to get from their life.
To view our full glossary of terms found on this website click here.
Supported Living & Home Care Services
Our supported living and home care services, offered throughout Dorset, Hampshire and surrounding areas from our key locations in Poole (near Bournemouth) and Southampton cover a wide variety of home care and supported living needs and vary from client to client in the level of complexity and the specific areas of help that are required. As clients develop new skills or lose the ability to do others, so our support plans, which are effectively "living documents", will also change.
Our supported living staff benefit from a wealth of experience with a range of clients, backed up by a constantly developing care training programme designed to help them to assist and enable individuals to manage their financial, emotional and physical well being.
The support we offer could well include assistance with shopping, cooking, paying bills, dealing with correspondence, arranging travel, social and home activities, cleaning, household tasks and personal care needs. For instance:
- We can provide competent and trained support staff, available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, to provide support and/or personal care provision.
- The same staff can help with keeping accommodation clean and safe and to create a pleasant, homely environment.
- We will assist individuals to achieve and maintain their own level of independence by helping them identify areas in which assistance is required, and work together to achieve their personal aims.
- We can help to source information of use to each individual with regard to benefits which they might be entitled to, and to assist in the completion of forms, etc.
- We will provide practical support to clients by both promoting and upholding their rights to self determination and personal choice and, if needed and requested, seek professional advice on their behalf to this end.
- We will always help to ensure that individuals effect their personal preferences and that they are given the assistance and information necessary to make well informed choices, and that their choices are both acknowledged and recorded.
- We provide emergency first aid in the event of an accident.
- We can provide added security at night, e.g. checking door locks, electrics, gas, etc. are shut off.
- Wherever possible we promote healthy eating and encourage the individual to eat a well balanced diet, providing advice and nutritional information to assist them in their choices.
- Our home care and supported living staff will accompany our clients on shopping trips and provide transport and support for GP/medical appointments, day excursions, prescription collection, etc.
- With the help of our partner website DotComUnity, which provides a comprehensive service directory for adults and children with a learning or physical disability, we will provide our clients with the information they need to identify and access a range of activities to stimulate mental and physical well being.
For further information on how we can help call us on 0845 5210 425 or get in touch via our contact form.