William is diagnosed with Autism and he is someone who enjoys spending time outdoors, especially jumping on a trampoline. Despite his unique abilities and strengths, he used to have a considerable amount of behaviours that challenged him.
He is now able to go outside every day, play plenty of games with his carers and learn new words daily, as he loves playing word games. William gained independence and is enjoying all of the activities with his family and carers, and he gets to enjoy all aspects of the community.
In the past few years, due to challenging behaviours, William was very violent towards his parents and surroundings, making him unpredictable and needing someone to take care of him 24/7. His father has been his full-time carer for the past six years as he decided to leave work so he could look after his son.
William hasn’t gone to school for several years now. He faces difficulties while driving in a car, bus or taxi. His father believed it was too dangerous to travel with William in the car, so William’s family decided it was best for him to stay at home and not attend school.
Reflecting on the Past: The Story of William
William is non-verbal, with severe learning disabilities and autism. His challenges led to his life and the life of his family being very restricted. At times, he became violent and faced unpredictable behaviour in public places. As William’s parents say, they were worried for their son’s safety but also the safety of the members of the public.
Over the years, his family focused on preventing these outbursts and behaviours, but the situation became even more challenging as William grew. His father says his relationships with his wife, parents, daughter, and brother have all been impacted:
“For example, my wife and I haven’t been able to even go to the supermarket together for around ten years, not been for a meal for the same amount of time.”
Facing the Challenges
As any loving parents, all William’s father and mother wanted was for him to be happy and feel that he was in a home where he was loved and cared for.
His family wanted William to have the best quality of life and experience as much of life as possible:
“We want him to experience as much of life as possible, but due to his condition, this hasn’t been possible. As parents, we have found this heart-breaking.”
William’s parents looked for a care agency for a long time; however, they could not find a provider that would cater to William’s specific needs. That’s until recently when Unique Community Services came along.
How Meeting Our Support Workers Changed Everything
Our team at Unique Community Services started providing care for William in February 2023 on a 3:1 basis.
From Christmas to the day that our team started providing care and support for William, his father said that there had only been two days without behaviours that challenged William.
However, with our help, by May, there was an amazing improvement in William’s behaviour, and violent behaviours were reduced to once every three weeks.
The clinicians caring for William took him outside daily, and now they spend hours playing. They took him shopping and used the trampoline, making him happy and interested in engaging with others and the community. William also started playing word games and is having a wonderful time with his carers. His family says their son is happy and progressing in all aspects of life.
“My wife and I have started going out again and living a regular life. My 21-year-old daughter and her boyfriend are managing to go out in the evenings, which hasn’t been possible until now.”
The Impact Of The Support Workers Of Unique Community Services
Through developing and implementing a holistic, person-centred approach, William’s and his family’s lives drastically improved.
“To say that life for William and our family has improved since Unique Community Services started to work with our family is an understatement.”
All clinicians caring for William are highly trained in person-centred care and dedicated to providing the best services possible.
“The team that works with us and William are a credit to the company. We feel blessed that they are now part of our family’s lives. Saying thank you just doesn’t seem enough.”
The clinicians at Unique Community Services, a brand under the Catalyst Care Group, showed consistency and continuity of care during the most challenging periods in William’s and his family’s lives.
Watch William’s documentary through the eyes of our Registered Manager, Carol Taylor, and Care Coordinator, Paula Howard. Witness how collaborative care has empowered William to live life on his own terms.
