Independence and Choice: Steve’s Story

For many years Steve had a dream to be truly independent and live his life with confidence doing things he wanted to do. He wanted to live in his own house supported by a team that was reliable and competent and shared his high level of optimism for life. Having moved into his own space and getting used to day to day life, the new found confidence in the care and support infrastructure through a wrap around care team, helped Steve in going out into the community and make connections. Having found his feet in his local setting, Steve decided to spread his wings and travel to places he had always wanted to see including Malta and make new memories.

Key to Steve’s success has been a person-centred approach that is informed by his ambitions and aspirations for the future. Steve sees his support team at Acute Need as a sounding board for ideas and how to deal with challenges he may face engaging with them. Steve is at the centre of all care and support planning and the entire support team work together to identify, plan and mitigate any challenges or risks associated with the activity. This approach has allowed Steve to be proactive in all matters related to health and social care needs and he feels confident in being able to communicate his preferences and if something needs to change. Having a positive environment has always been a priority for Steve and his support team have helped make sure that spirits are always high. Through the last few very testing months during the covid crisis, Steve and his team have worked very hard to maintain this ethos and are looking forward to safely continuing with their plans and objectives for the year as things return back to normal.