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Greater Independence

ubu believes in both encouraging and enabling the people we serve to lead their lives with greater independence. Three gentlemen in Middlesbrough have all been taking steps in order to give themselves more independence in their own homes and communities.

Mark met with his enabling team in March to discuss what he would like to achieve by his next meeting. “I wanted to be able to do all my own washing, drying and ironing by March next year. It’s something I need to be doing daily so I want to do it myself when I get back from my work placement on a night. My enabling team taught me how to use the machines properly, how to separate colours and how to use the laundry powder, conditioner and stain remover.” This task is now on Mark’s daily planner so that as soon as he gets home from his work experience he gets right onto doing his daily chores. “I’m feeling confident about using the machines myself. I feel I’m making steps to actually achieving this goal. It’s important because it will make me feel more independent and then maybe if I move into my own flat then it’s good practice isn’t it?”


Alan has also thought about how he might enhance his sense of independence and has found the perfect solution. “I’m seventy-two now but I haven’t been out the house for several years. I wanted to go out but was worried

about it. I saved and bought a very easy-to-use phone and now I’m feeling a lot more confident because of it.” Alan has set his phone up so he can quickly get in contact with his enabling team should he ever need to. “I went for my first game of bingo in a long time the other day with friends I hadn’t seen in years, it was smashing and it was so nice just to know that my team were accessible if I need to call them.”


Michael had already been working on things that could give him more independence but found he struggled with it to a certain degree. Michael likes to write up his weekly shopping list on a Tuesday, “I go through all the cupboards looking for items in the house that we are low on. I copy the label to get the right spelling but it really annoys me when there sometimes isn’t a label to copy off. I wanted to do something about this to help me.” Michael started to make a folder that was filled with all the items he uses the most in the house, and with help he sourced a picture and the correct spelling for the item. “I even put everything in categories so that it’s even easier to find.”

We love celebrating positive achievements and these gentlemen are achieving independence in their lives.

Mark and Michael have both had the opportunity to learn new skills that they can use every day in their own lives to enable them to complete daily tasks and feel more confident in their own homes. Alan has been able to feel part of the community again and reunited with both activities and old friends thanks to the independence that a phone can offer. We hope to see their independence grow even more so that they can continue to grow in happiness and confidence in their lives and communities.


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Why not, sit back and read more about some of our great successes.

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