We began supporting Jack* at one of our specialist brain injury rehabilitation services in the West Midlands, 9 years ago following a brain injury.

After years of consistent hard work and determination from both Jack* and his support team, he made great progress with his recovery. He developed the skills and independence he needed to move back into the community. So in December 2017, we supported Jack* to transition from our services into his own supported living flat, where he has his own tenancy.

When reflecting on his rehabilitation journey at our services, Jack* described it as ‘playing a game of snakes and ladders’. Hard work would be put in and achievements would be made resulting in him ‘climbing the ladder’. He would then ‘hit a blip’, which is common after a brain injury, and take a short slide back before climbing on that ladder again.

For example, Jack’s* biggest personal achievement at our service was when he was able to remove the need for a wheelchair and become fully independent physically. He achieved this through regular neuro-physiotherapy and daily physio tasks as set out in his support plan.

Staff were delighted that Jack* was physically improving, however they soon recognised that his challenging behaviour and heightened emotions were hindering his discharge. Work commenced with a cognitive behavioural therapist, which Jack* refers to as “fun, enlightening and rewarding”, and improvements gradually followed.

Recognised improvement

Jack* progress was regularly reviewed through goal attainment scale (GAS) goals, which is the method of scoring the individual’s achievement of the goal and the therapeutic value over the course of the intervention. This approach kept Jon motivated as his achievements were evidence based. It provided reassurance to family members and healthcare professionals of his progress, and outlined what a suitable discharge destination would be for him.

Jack* managed to climb up to the top the ‘ladder’ at our services in December 2017. He says his move to his own flat has been fabulous and has hugely increased his confidence. Although Jack* now lives by himself and is thriving, he is happy that he still receives some support by Voyage Care whilst he works towards full independence. The next step for him is to attend college classes, find a job and make new friends.

Janette Walker, Operations Manager, says “It is wonderful to see the progress and achievements of the people we support. I received an invitation from Jack* to visit him in his new home and took him up on his kind offer. It was really lovely to see how well he is doing.”

Want to know more about our brain injury rehabilitation services? Contact our friendly enquiry line on 0800 0353 776 or email referrals@voyagecare.com.

*Some of the details have been changed for confidentiality reasons.