In April 2024, Steve moved into Churchfield Avenue, one of our specialist support services in Cambridge. He has a mild learning disability and bipolar disorder, as well as complex mental health needs. Steve hasn’t always needed support and spent most of his adult life in regular employment and living in his own home.

When Steve was hit by a car in the early 2000s, his life completely changed. The accident left him with many injuries, including two broken knees. Relying on a mobility aid and battling with memories of his accident, he experienced a decline in his mental health. Suffering from anxiety, he started presenting challenging behaviour.  

Struggling to navigate daily life alone, Steve sought additional support. His mobility needs meant he needed round-the-clock care. Initially, he was placed in a retirement care home. Still in the prime of his life, Steve couldn’t adapt to his new environment. Not receiving the support he needed to address his traumatic memories, his mental health and behaviour deteriorated. Once active and bubbly, he became withdrawn and isolated himself. 

Longing to feel like himself again, Steve worked with his Social Worker to find a specialist support provider who could meet his evolving needs. That’s when they found Voyage Care. Our person-centred approach reassured Steve his needs would be met, and he would be empowered to embrace independence and move forward with his life.

Since joining us, Steve’s undergone a rapid transformation! With an expert team supporting him, he’s overcome his trauma and anxiety and is achieving things he never thought possible.

Settling in

When Steve first joined Churchfield Avenue, our team took time to understand who he is as a person and what he’d experienced in the past. They established the journey he’d been on since his road traffic accident and how his needs had evolved and changed over the years.

Instantly, they could see Steve wasn’t the active, sociable person he used to be. Understanding there was a deeper meaning to his personality changes, they worked with him to unpick his past and focus on his future.

Since his accident, Steve experienced a lot of sudden change in a short space of time. His mobility was limited, so he moved out of his home to receive full time care and support. Struggling to settle into his new home, he frequently moved between providers.

Steve felt insecure and longed for stability and security. His mental health worsened, and he started presenting challenging behaviour. Without support to understand his behaviour, he seemed destined to be stuck in a cycle of moving home and feeling more unsettled.

When Steve was ready to move into Churchfield Avenue, it happened quickly, and he didn’t have much time to come to terms with moving to another new home. Based on his history, our team understood how this might impact Steve.

To support his transition, they provided him with a stable, consistent daily routine, helping him feel settled in his new home. They introduced key members of his wider support circle into his routine, including his Social Worker and Community Nurse.

With a daily routine in place and lots of familiar, friendly faces, Steve’s behaviour quickly settled. Feeling more confident in his environment, he started establishing good relationships with his support team. Reassured they had his best interests at heart, he felt safe and secure. 

Once Steve was settled and happy in his new home, our team worked with him to bring value and purpose back into his life. Recognising him as an individual with his own passions and interests, they nurtured him to reembrace the things he loves.  

With their encouragement and support, Steve’s rediscovered many passions that had slipped away from him. A big train enthusiast, he likes to take trips to various places on the train – he particularly likes going to London. He also loves a spot of people watching and enjoys watching the world go by while sipping a cappuccino at his local café!

Steve’s life improved from the day he joined us at Churchfield Avenue. Feeling empowered, he soon set his sights on achieving something he once thought was impossible.

Succeeding with specialist support

When Steve first joined us at Churchfield Avenue, he regularly saw a Psychiatrist as part of his mental health support. His psychiatrist was heavily involved in his care, supporting him to manage the trauma and anxiety he experienced because of his road traffic accident.

After his accident, Steve wasn’t confident he’d ever walk again. Even though he had both knees replaced, he continued using a mobility aid to get around. He also needed support to transition from sitting to standing.

But Steve’s psychiatrist had every confidence he could walk. They believed his problem wasn’t physical, but emotional – his trauma and anxiety were holding him back.  

Our team understood the impact Steve’s accident and previous placements had on him. His needs weren’t met, and he wasn’t encouraged to regain his independence or build a meaningful life. Without others believing in him, Steve wasn’t motivated to make changes.

With the support of our specialist team at Churchfield Avenue, and the words of his psychiatrist in his heart, Steve made a brave decision. 

One morning, without any prompting from his support team, Steve got himself out of bed. He walked from his bed to turn on his bedroom light. To the amazement of his support team, he walked out of his room, pushing his wheelchair. Speechless and overcome with pride, they felt like they were witnessing a miracle.

Reflecting on this incredible achievement with Steve, they understood consistent, specialist support had helped him feel secure and believe in himself again. Feeling like part of a family, his fears melted away and he felt like he could accomplish anything. So, that morning, he decided to accomplish walking!

Knowing what this meant to Steve, our team quickly arranged for a community Physiotherapist to start working with Steve. Together, they went through exercises to strengthen his muscles and improve his posture. He would stand up and sit down, do single leg lifts, and practice walking.

Early on in his physiotherapy, Steve would walk with handrails or a mobility aid to support him. Empowered with confidence, he was soon walking unaided!

Steve enjoyed doing his exercises and saw the benefits of them, which kept him motivated and increased his confidence further. Still occasionally using his mobility aids, he was walking with confidence – and he wanted to show off his new skills by signing up for his local fun run!

For the past few months, Steve’s been training for a fun run in his local town. With the support of our team, he’s been doing his physio exercises twice a day and continuing to use handrails while he increases his strength and stamina.

Like everyone, Steve has good days and bad days. He understands he might not be able to complete the whole distance of the fun run. So, if he doesn’t feel up to walking the whole way, he plans to use his wheelchair until the last stretch – where he’ll proudly walk over the finish line!  

Motivated for success

Regaining his mobility had big effects on both Steve’s physical and mental health. His psychiatrist is no longer involved in his support, and he’s even been inspired to make some additional lifestyle changes!

Recently, Steve’s quit smoking. Before he started walking again, he struggled with his breathing and would regularly get out of breath.

A short while ago, Steve went into hospital for one week. When he was discharged, he noticed his breathing was much better. Suddenly, he realised it was because he hadn’t smoked since before he went into hospital. So, he stopped smoking immediately!

Every day, Steve’s team recognise how proud he is of his accomplishments and how he’s transformed his health. So, if he’s tempted – which only happens if someone mentions smoking – they gently remind him of the improvements he’s made since he stopped. With his team looking out for his best interests, Steve’s successfully overcome a habit that started 40 years ago! With his mobility improving each day and a fresh, healthy outlook, Steve’s re-established his quality of life. Remaining firmly at the centre of his support, his team continue to empower him to embrace his independence and live a life that’s meaningful to him.  

Fantastic future

At Churchfield Avenue, Manager Lucy Harris and the team are most proud of how Steve’s motivated himself to make such big changes in a short space of time.

Lots of people have noticed differences in Steve, including his Social Worker, who has known him for a long time. For Lucy and the team, these changes wouldn’t have been possible without Steve feeling happy and content at Churchfield Avenue.

Steve credits his successes to the specialist support he receives from his team at Churchfield Avenue. They’ve provided him with a home that feels safe and comfortable, so he could move on from the traumas of his past.

The future looks bright for Steve. Beyond the fun run, he’s continuing to set goals. As part of our person-centred approach, our teams set goals with the people we support, so they are empowered to pursue what’s important to them.

For Steve, identifying his ambitions supports his mental health, giving him something to focus on. Setting goals with his team also provides him with reassurance that he’ll continue to live at Churchfield Avenue. Because of his past experiences, he sometimes feels anxious about having the home he loves taken away from him.

For us, Steve’s a firm part of the Churchfield Avenue family and we enjoy having him live with us as much as he loves being with us! We’ll be by his side as he crosses the fun run finish line and, together, we’ll keep walking towards a fantastic future!

Find out more

To find out more about our specialist 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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• case study
• learning disability
• mental health
• residential care