Freddie’s fresh start

Freddie lives in his own home in Middlesbrough and he has just been supported to get his bungalow decorated, making the environment fit for his wants and needs.

Freddie is a very active and lively young man. He can bump into things and knock things very easily. He also rocks vigorously on his chairs which had resulted in him breaking dining chairs, tables and had knocked a few radiators off the walls. As a result, it was found that his home wasn’t meeting his needs and needed improvements.

There wasn’t much of a homely feel in Freddie’s home, there was nothing on the walls as Freddie would pull or knock them down, breaking them. But we wanted to make sure Freddie still had a home that felt warm and welcoming but most importantly was safe. So Freddie’s support team reviewed what was and wasn’t working, and including Freddie, they planned a redecoration of the whole bungalow.

Fixed, sturdy booth type seating, fitting for a diner, was purchased and fitted which made a safe and secure place for Freddie to eat and relax. Radiator covers were styled and fitted. Wall art was added to make his bungalow homely but safe. Previously Freddie had been unable to display a large photo of his family, as the fragile frame had been broken but by having the image printed on a large canvas, he has now been able to proudly hang it on his living room wall.
He loves it.

It was previously thought that Freddie would need to be out of the house while work men were getting on with certain jobs but we wanted to try and keep Freddie involved as much as possible, so he stayed for some of the work to see how comfortable he would be with the workmen working away on making improvements.

His furniture in his bedroom was reorganised to give him more space and more accessible storage was purchased. Freddie now calls his room, “Freddie’s big boy bedroom.” He is so happy with his bedroom and bungalow his behaviours that can challenge have reduced. It seemed that styling his environment and fully including Freddie in the decision making in a more adult way has helped him naturally mature in himself, and it has been amazing for us to see how the change of someone’s environment can help with their growth.

Freddie now loves relaxing in his room most mornings and enjoys doing things at his own pace.