How community engagement supports Andy’s independence

Being part of a local community is one of the things that makes us who we are.

At Exemplar Health Care, we encourage and support people to remain valued and active members of their local community.

We’re all involved in a range of communities throughout our lives. This shouldn’t be any different for people living in care homes.

Our care focuses on encouraging and supporting people to maintain these connections, if they wish.

Recently, the team at Scotia Heights care home in Stoke on Trent has supported resident, Andy, to take part in his favourite hobbies outside the home and volunteer with a local charity group.

This focus on community engagement has supported Andy to build his everyday living skills and maximise his independence. 

Meet Andy, Scotia Heights resident

Andy moved to Scotia Heights in 2014 following a stroke in 2009. The stroke left Andy with difficulties in processing and comprehending information, and weakness to the left side of his body. Andy also lives with schizophrenia and in the past has experienced episodes of psychosis and disorientation. 

When he first arrived, he would often attempt to abscond. However, with the support of the Scotia Heights team, his schizophrenia is well controlled and he no longer attempts this. 

Despite his challenges, Andy is independent in most aspects of his day to day living, and enjoys a good quality life that’s full of the things he loves.  

Andy has always been a private person, enjoying his own company and often spending time on his PlayStation. 

Our high staffing levels enable Andy to progress at his own pace and build trust with the care team. 

Community engagement

Since the home has introduced a focus on community engagement, Andy enjoys taking part in a range of activities to develop his life skills and build his independence. 

His care package provides one to one staffing. The staff member is there to enable Andy to engage in meaningful activities both inside and outside of the home. 

Andy has recently started fishing, a hobby that he enjoyed when he was younger. 

He previously did rod fishing, but due to his left sided weakness, he has had to adapt, taking up pole fishing instead. He was thrilled to have caught five fish on his first time back.  

A keen footballer, Andy also attends walking football sessions at the local Dimensions Leisure Centre. He loves having a kick around with friends and keeping active to maintain muscle function in his legs. 

Volunteering with a local community group

A few months ago, Andy started volunteering at Green Door at West Port Lake. 

Green Door is a community group that offers outdoor activities for local people, especially those who are older or disabled. 

Here, Andy works at the bike hire centre once a week, on a Thursday between 10am and 1pm. 

He interacts with customers, moves the bikes around and has learnt how to fit a bicycle bell, which he’s very proud of. 

About the role, he shares: “Any bikes that go out, we have to lock them up to stop them getting nicked. The Green Door staff are brilliant!”

Andy loves volunteering and treats it like a real job. Since starting a few months ago, his confidence has grown and he’s learned new skills – he loves interacting with people and getting out in the local community. 

In future, Andy would like to increase his hours at Green Door, and his long-term goal is to try to get a paid job. 

In-house physiotherapy sessions

To support his hobbies and volunteering, the in-house physiotherapist at Scotia Heights has recently purchased functional electronic stimulation equipment to support Andy to regain some function in his arm. 

We hope this will enable Andy to do even more things for himself and make it easier for him to take part in a wider range of activities.

Specialist nursing care

Exemplar Health Care is a leading provider of specialist nursing care for adults living with complex and high acuity needs. 

Read more on its website: www.exemplarhc.com