Brain injury rehab John and Rose’s journey to specialist brain injury support!
John is 51 years old and lives at Lorenzo Drive, our specialist brain injury rehabilitation service in Liverpool. Rose, his mum, has spent her entire life caring for him, trying to gain an understanding of his evolving brain injury and mental health needs.
When John was growing up in the 1970s, knowledge and understanding of his conditions was limited and Rose struggled to find the right support for his needs. But since joining Voyage Care, both John and Rose’s lives have completely changed.
With expert, specialist brain injury support, Rose has reassurance that her son is receiving the right care and support to help him thrive and enjoy a safe, happy future. With that, comes peace of mind that enables Rose the freedom to enjoy her life and build an even stronger relationship with John.
Rose’s baby boy is born
When John was born, Rose and her husband were thrilled! As a family, they were filled with love and enjoyed spending quality time together. But at just nine weeks old, John swallowed his own vomit and suffered a collapsed lung. Because of this, his brain was deprived of oxygen, leading to hypoxia which ultimately changed the course of his life forever.
He was looked after in hospital for three months until he was strong enough to be at home with his family, who missed him dearly. A devoted mum, Rose was scared. But she continued lovingly raising John alongside his two older sisters, with no follow up or support from health or social care professionals.
As John grew, Rose noticed something wasn’t quite right. John always presented younger than his age and missed key developmental milestones. When he was three years old, his speech hadn’t developed and he presented unusual behaviours, like rocking back and forth. Rose took John to the doctors for an assessment. Due to the lack of research into brain injuries and mental health at that time, Rose was told this was a behavioural issue that he would grow out of. Again, she was left with little insight on how to support her son.
Shortly after this, when John was four years old, he began speaking and started school and Rose concluded John’s presentations were indeed behavioural. For a while, the family led a normal life. As John got older, he became very popular at school and his classmates loved him! It seemed that despite a difficult start in life, John’s bubbly and vibrant personality shone through and things were looking up for him.
During high school, John presented repetitive and impulsive behaviours – nothing out of the ordinary for teenage boys with lots of energy to burn! Yet it soon became apparent that something else was causing John to act this way…
A rocky road to adulthood
At 16 years old, John and his girlfriend decided to move in together and not long after, they announced they were expecting their first child. The relationship wasn’t stable, but loving mum Rose did all she could to help, giving them both jobs at her manufacturing business.
During this time Rose noticed John’s lack of concentration at work. Not long after, his relationship broke down and John began to struggle with his mental health. These struggles led to a breakdown, and John was sectioned in hospital.
During a heartfelt conversation while he was sectioned, John’s former partner revealed to Rose that John had been drugged and abused by an adult when he was 15 years old. Hearing this devastating news, Rose’s heart broke into a million pieces. She couldn’t bear the thought of John suffering in silence with the memory of this awful event and the mental health struggles that followed.
It’s no surprise that this trauma, combined with his brain injury, led to a pattern of John being admitted to hospital throughout his early adult years. Eventually, he received a secondary diagnosis that would resolve many mysteries surrounding his behaviours. John was diagnosed with Schizophrenia.
Implications of inappropriate support
After being in and out of hospital for many years, John was eventually placed into residential care. But this had devastating effects on his wellbeing. John and Rose had formed an inseparable bond over the years, and he expressed to his support team that he wanted to have regular phone calls with his mum. Denying him contact with his mum, John became frustrated and lashed out, causing damage to the property.
Not considering John’s welfare and failing to investigate the root cause of his outburst, the home called the police and John was charged with criminal damage. He was sent to prison for 21 days.
Following his release, John was placed in another home. During this time, with advice from a family friend, Rose requested further investigation into the impact of John’s brain injury on his needs. At this moment, John and Rose’s life took an incredible turn.
Recommended to seek support from a specialist brain injury support provider, John was on the move again! This time, he moved into Sanderling House, our specialist brain injury support service in Liverpool. With expert, person-centred support in place to consider John and his holistic needs, things started to feel more positive for him and his mum. Rose finally had peace of mind that John was safe, and most importantly, he was happy!
John moved into Sanderling House when he was in his 30’s and finally started receiving the specialist support he needed. He lived there for eight years and, every day, Rose made the two hour round trip to visit him. Eventually, the lengthy travel took its toll on Rose though and she longed to have him closer to the family home. So, when Rose heard another Voyage Care specialist brain injury service, Lorenzo Drive, was being built just around the corner, she was overjoyed!
On the move again
John was given the opportunity to live at Lorenzo Drive when it opened. Originally moving into the main residential care building, both he and Rose were excited for another new chapter. But the move from Sanderling House to Lorenzo Drive was difficult for John and he needed a lot of support to adapt to his new surroundings. He struggled with the change of environment and the lack of routine meant his behaviour worsened.
He started secretly drinking alcohol and, when he couldn’t afford it, he would steal it, unaware that it was wrong. With John’s behaviour worsening, he was at risk of losing his placement at Lorenzo Drive – something that Rose was terrified would happen.
An advocate and a friend
During this time, John Paul joined Lorenzo Drive as the new Service Manager. Instantly, he built a strong bond with both John and Rose. A true family man, John Paul recognised the importance of their relationship and worked hard to help John settle into his new home while offering long-overdue emotional support to Rose.
Nothing was ever too much for John Paul. His door was always open to both Rose and John. Even through John’s tough times, John Paul never gave up on him. Using person-centred support, he treated John with respect, recognising him as an independent man – something that is very important to John.
Welcoming Rose into the Lorenzo Drive family, he stuck by her too, advocating for John’s place in the home when it was put at risk. John Paul had a thorough understanding of what life had been like for Rose and John before Lorenzo Drive. Empathetic to the hurdles they’d faced, he knew exactly why John’s place at Lorenzo Drive meant so much to them.
Understanding John’s needs
John Paul got to work. He knew something was influencing John’s behaviours and he wanted to work with him to understand his frustrations. Identifying that John craved independence, John Paul suggested he move into one of the supported living flats.
Even though John’s multi-disciplinary team were dubious about this move, the team at Lorenzo Drive knew this could be the perfect solution that would finally see John settled and close to Rose.
During negotiations, the team at Lorenzo Drive kept Rose updated on progress and engaged the local community to ensure placement discussions went ahead smoothly.
They made local shopkeepers and supportive neighbours aware of John’s brain injury and as a close-knit community, they united to look out for John. Rose was comforted by the safety network that wrapped around her son as previously, his vulnerability meant people often took advantage of him. The team worked with John, Rose and the community to promote his independence while staying safe – something that is extremely important to him.
With this at the heart of his support, and with the kindness shown from the Lorenzo Drive team, John finally began to settle into his new home and benefitted from a fresh routine. He stopped drinking and smoking as much and set himself new goals for the future, which was finally beginning to feel more hopeful.
John has been settled ever since and is already planning his next goals – going to the gym and exercising more! Supported and inspired by John Paul, he’s on track to tick off this ambition from his list too!
New beginnings
Rose and John have always had a close bond, but with support from Voyage Care, their relationship has gone from strength to strength. Rose visits John every day and has been welcomed by the Lorenzo Drive team as part of the family.
With John’s person-centred support, she knows he’s being taken care of by a team who have genuinely care about his wellbeing. Since John moved into Lorenzo Drive, Rose and John have been granted the freedom to explore their relationship and make memories that will last a lifetime. Starting with decorating his flat together, they went on to travel around the world – including a fun-packed trip to New York!
With each trip they take, John marks off the places they visit on a map that hangs in his hallway. But for Rose, the most important trip they’ve ever made is the one to Lorenzo Drive.
Find out more about our specialist brain injury support
To find out more about our specialist brain injury support and how we can help you, a loved one, or a client, fill out our simple enquiry form and a member of our team will be in touch.
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