Belief and ambition: Life really has got better for Arnold

Arnold (not his real name or photo) had been in hospital since 2010. He is a young man and had a succession of failed placements. Arnold is autistic with a history of incidents and behaviours of distress that has led to a history of incidents towards other people. Arnold also has moderate learning disabilities, generalised anxiety disorder and communication difficulties.

Dimensions was first approached about Arnold four years ago to see if we might be able to offer him support. The council had, by this point, exhausted every avenue and we were approached with a slight sense of trepidation. To read about his history is to know why: if we did not get Arnold’s support absolutely right, there was huge risk of him never getting another chance to live independently.

Support transition

The council purchased a home for Arnold and made adaptions to suit his needs before we started 3:1 support in January of 2023. Over six months into the transition, it all has gone really smoothly. He is a lovely, affectionate guy and loves having people around him. I think some of the success has been achieved by having a fully-trained and bonded team who first met him in hospital and forged a relationship, as well as having an experienced and established manager and a full-time, experienced Positive Behaviour Consultant. There has only been one incident that we managed and learned from.

Independent living

We have noticed huge change in Arnold; he’s visibly happier and his health has improved too. In hospital, he had patches of hair missing, skin complaints and a poor diet. Now he enjoys cooking and because he eats more healthily, these issues no longer affect him.

Arnold has gum disease, but now regularly goes to the dentist which he enjoys. This is phenomenal in comparison to how he would have been previously and shows the difference the right support can make.

One of the biggest hurdles with Arnold has been managing his anxiety and trauma so that he feels safe in his home. While there have been some incidents as the team continue to learn, he is now thriving and living a much better life.

He is very proud of his flat, keeps it clean and tidy and loves being at home, but we are encouraging him to go out more in his local area and support him to visit the church. Having been in hospital for such a long time, this is handled at a pace Arnold is comfortable with and we are seeing progress. He loves cycling and, initially, would only cycle in his back garden but now he is venturing further afield.