Angela and I sat together and lots of ideas came flooding – we had a good laugh at some of them!
Angela finally decided to build a “Wish List House”. First we drew a picture of what the house would look like then we made a shopping list of what we would need…“Hobby Craft here we come!”
Angela was fully involved in the making of her house; sewing bricks, gluing flowers, choosing curtains and photographs to put onto the canvas.
Angela particularly enjoyed making the roof although after gluing it to the house and leaving it overnight to dry, we got up the next day to discover it had stuck to the dining table – oops! It was a tricky moment but we did eventually manage to get it unstuck and still in one piece.
Once the house was created and the door and windows were in place we put photographs of Angela peeping out through the curtains, which she chose.
Angela had such a good time making her house even saying she wished she could live in it! We laughed and laughed as we built it, which still makes me smile now.
The next step was to put Angela’s wishes into her house: it is after all a “Wish List House”. So behind the door and every window we put lots of information, for example:
- Angela’s wishes
- What is important to Angela
- How Angela likes to be supported
- Her likes and dislikes etc. etc.
Angela’s house is more than a wish list, it is a creative Support Plan and something that Angela is very proud of.
The house is brimming with information that is written and in picture format and it will be a very useful tool for any new staff member supporting Angela.
I believe the house will also reduce Angela’s anxieties with new staff, as in the past Angela has been very possessive of her files and reluctant to allow new staff to read them, whereas Angela is now delighted to show off her “Wish List House” to anyone visiting.
Jill Cook
Senior Support Worker
Warrington
Click here for our latest Macintyre Story: Paul’s Story