The AKA Case Management team never gives up when our clients need us – however tough things get.
Sometimes the road to a happy, fulfilled and settled life is extremely difficult and fraught with obstacles and setbacks. AKA always sees each client as a unique individual and we know that some people continue to need us even after it appears to the outside world that they have achieved their ‘happily ever after’.
That is what has happened in the case of one of our clients, ‘Matthew’ (not his real name). Matthew suffered a serious brain injury in his early 20s and after a number of unsuccessful placements he was put in a nursing home.
Building up skills and confidence
It was only intended to be a temporary solution, but Matthew ended up living there for nearly four years, surrounded by elderly residents and getting depressed and distressed.
When AKA took over his case management, we worked hard on building up his skills and confidence and helping him to mix with people of a similar age.
His Case Manager explained: “A few years ago we thought his problems were over because we had battled hard to find him a placement living with some independence in a family setting with a care and support provider.”
Different level of specialist support
It looked as if Matthew had got the happy ending he deserved, but despite everyone’s best intentions and best efforts things don’t always work out as we hope.
His care and support provider worked incredibly hard to help him to settle. We provided extra training and support but it began to look as if Matthew needed a different level of specialist support.
His Case Manager continued to fight for Matthew and refused to give in.
Fighting on for the right care
She believed he needed to live in a specialist brain injury rehabilitation unit, but social workers refused to fund it. Instead, they put him into several more placements, which also proved unsuitable and unsuccessful for his complex needs.
“It was a horrific time,” said his Case Manager. “He was making very poor choices, and was neglecting himself. He was so very unhappy that I used to leave him after my visits and feel like crying.”
She continued to persist, despite knock-backs from social services, to fight for the right care for Matthew.
Eventually, when another crisis situation arose, Matthew was moved to a brain injury rehabilitation unit and finally got the support that was right for him. Once he was there, social care finally agreed to fund it and Matthew has now lived there happily for more than three years.
His Case Manager said: “He’s settled and happy now. He needs support 24/7 but he is able to do some volunteering and I am glad that after so long Matthew is finally in the right place for him.”