Turning Point Scotland Scotland Office 54 Govan Road Glasgow G51 1JL Telephone
0141 427 8200
Fax
0141 427 8201
info@turningpointscotland.com
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www.turningpointscotland.com
CHARITY NO SC028827
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Michael Dancer
Š TURNING POINT SCOTLAND 2011
my life. my time.
Contents
my life. my time.
1
Introduction
3
My Life.
4
Gaining control
7
Home
8
My Time. – diary extracts from New York
11
Planning for the trip
18
1
Introduction
“I always wanted to travel on a Boeing 747 and I’d never had the chance until last year. At 21 years old I decided to save money to travel on the aircraft of my choice and after much searching I found I had three different places to choose from; Miami, Washington D.C. and New York. I was keen to visit a place where the main language is English and I decided to go to New York. “I travelled to New York on my own from 12 to 19 October and visited many interesting places such as the Statue of Liberty, Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum, Brooklyn Bridge, the Bronx, Rockefeller Center, Empire State Building and other places in Manhattan. “I was so excited about the trip. I was a bit nervous, but I got over this, as I had planned the trip from start to finish.” Travelling to New York is a big deal for most, but for Nigel this was huge. He had planned his trip for quite some time, and worked alongside his support worker and team to make sure he was prepared for his dream of travelling to New York by himself. Nigel has Asperger’s Syndrome and is supported by national social care charity Turning Point Scotland. Today he has his own flat, is in his second year at college and provides a mentoring support to students in their first year. He also started work in a shop this year and hopes in the years to come to fulfill another lifelong ambition of working with trains. This is my life. my time.
3
My Life
Asperger’s Syndrome is a form of autism, which is a lifelong disability that affects how a person makes sense of the world, processes information and relates to other people (The National Autistic Society).
“In May 2004 I was sent to the Ettrick Ward in the Crichton Royal Hospital in Dumfries. Prior to this I lived with my mother. During my time in the ward I felt that no one understood my needs as I have Asperger’s Syndrome. This creates problems for me in relation to communications.”
“Later in the year I moved to Clannalba which is a respite and transitional assessment centre for autistic people. During the time I stayed there I was able to move on and learn some independent living skills such as how to do housework and food shopping.
Nigel explains: “This stressed me out and frustrated me. I was sectioned and the Mental Health Officer used language I did not understand.
“I was able to go on trips with staff members and they helped me to try and live in the community. The following summer, in August 2005 I started working in a café. I really enjoyed working there.
“At this point in my life I was unable to learn about my Asperger’s Syndrome and was unable to understand what people were saying to me.” “I stayed in the ward for six months and remained frustrated and angry throughout this period. This made me feel that nobody cared and I wanted to lash out and hurt someone (but I never did this). This was a very lonely time for me, but I didn’t understand these feelings.
A guardianship order is a legal document put in place to enable a person to live safely in the community with guidelines that the person must adhere to.
“When I turned 18 years old, things started to go wrong for me. I was put under a guardianship order. “I was told what to do and what not to do. During this time it felt that I couldn’t come home to my mum’s house ever again. I love to travel and I felt I had no freedom to do this as I had to inform and gain permission before I could travel outwith the region I lived in.” In Nigel’s case he had to sleep at a given address and was not allowed to travel outwith the region without consent from his Care Manager.
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5
Gaining control
Under his guardianship, Nigel was transferred to Moorpark Place where he could gain skills towards independent living. He started to make friends with the people there but he felt at this time in his life that choices were limited. After a lot of negotiation and fighting for some freedom, Nigel was able to visit the nearby local town on his own in a bid to gain some independence. He recalls: “I had to fight for what I believed. Once I was able to visit the town centre it felt strange as previously I wasn’t allowed to.”
Nigel’s mother has always been supportive and very much involved in his life. Following a trip to Cost Rica with his mother to a family wedding, Nigel had a review with an advocate as he felt that his mental health officer wasn’t listening to him. The advocate listened to Nigel’s dreams and aspirations for the future. At this point in his life Nigel started to believe that he was gaining some control. Having an advocate was a positive experience for Nigel and his life started to change from this point forward. He started working in a café in the local town and it was only a 10 minute walk from where he was living so he was able to further his independence. During this period Nigel started travelling further afield by public transport. This proved to the staff team at Moorpark Place that he could be trusted. Now that Nigel was gaining a sense of independent living, his new goal was to have his own accommodation.
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7
Home
When Nigel turned 20 he had another review with his social worker and he was introduced to Turning Point Scotland in the Dumfries area. Turning Point Scotland provides services to adults with complex needs including learning disabilities, mental health issues, addictions, autism, Huntington’s disease, and those at risk of becoming homeless. In Dumfries the service specialises in producing supports to those with learning disabilities, acquired brain injury, autism and Asperger’s Syndrome.
After spending Christmas with his family, Nigel moved into his own home and met his new support team in January 2008. Working with his support team and social worker they helped to lift the guardianship order. Nigel says: “It felt good having this (guardianship order) removed. I started to trust the staff team and started to build a relationship with them.” Billy, one of Nigel’s staff team at Turning Point Scotland said: “We felt that we had achieved something with Nigel. Having the guardianship order removed helped Nigel to start trusting us as before with the order he felt he couldn’t trust us. From this point forward we were able to build a stronger relationship with Nigel.”
8
Nigel started to make choices for himself and this encouraged him to make new friends. His confidence began to grow. Life took on a new meaning for Nigel and later in 2008 he met his girlfriend and a new circle of friends. Having a girlfriend is important to Nigel and to ensure he remained appropriate and safe his staff team worked with him to learn about having personal relationships. Billy says: “Life is all about relationships and this is something Nigel wanted to learn about it.” Nigel adds: “The relationship with my girlfriend did not last and we split up. I learned, with support, that there are plenty of fish in the sea!” As his confidence grew Nigel started to take part in guitar lessons and met friends in the nearby village who he would socialise with.
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Day 1
It was Nigel’s ultimate dream to fly on a Boeing 747 and spend time abroad on his own. In order to do this he worked with his support team at Turning Point Scotland and also through consultation with his social worker. After working through the risks of travelling alone, an activity planner was produced to ensure that Nigel would be kept safe in New York.
My Time
“I arrived at Heathrow Airport at Terminal 5 where I checked in and waited for two hours. I boarded the Boeing 747 and it was a good flight. During the flight I had a meal onboard and I also enjoyed in-flight entertainment. I had
Routine is important to Nigel. If things should go wrong or fall out of his planned routine Nigel requires support and guidance to get him back on track or to reassure him. The activity planner was produced to alleviate any problems which would occur. It provided him with safe alternative planned routes.
to fill in a Visa waiver and the cabin crew helped me with this.
“Once the plane landed I got the chance to look in the cockpit before leaving the aircraft.
On 12 October 2009 Nigel travelled to New York on a Boeing 747, and the trip was a success. He stayed seven nights in a hotel. He met new people of different nationalities from all over the world. Nigel followed his pre-planned activity planner and returned home safely seven days later.
10
After reclaiming my luggage I went on the air link bus to my accommodation. Later that day I went up the Empire State Building.
11
Day 2
Day 3
“The following day I visited
I visited Times Square and it
the Statue of Liberty, Ellis
has a wax museum called Madame
Island, Grand Central Station,
Tussaud’s. In the museum it
the Intrepid Sea Air and Space
has wax statues of famous people
Museum where I saw aircraft and
in it.
submarines. I went on the aircraft carrier and there were fighter
“I visited the Bronx and when I
jets. There is a supersonic
arrived I was a little bit scared.
airliner, Concorde and I had a
I later took the bus to the zoo
look inside and it was wonderful.
where there were lots of wild animals including lions, monkeys,
“Later on I walked along Brooklyn
zebras, elephants, reptiles and
Bridge and visited the harbour.
many types of wild birds.
I went on another boat trip and it was going along the Hudson River.
“I visited Central Park and it has a fountain with the statue of Bethesda and I went up to Belvedere Castle. The park has a lake and a big reservoir and there were lots of trees.
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Day 4
Day 5
“The next day I visited Queens
“The next day I went down to Coney
and I was looking at the street
Island which is in Brooklyn and
markets and later on I watched
I walked along the beach and
planes that took off at La
visited the aquarium and saw lots
Guardia Airport. I went up to
of fish. Later on I visited the
the Rockefeller Center and I took
Transit Museum where there are
a picture of the view of the
numerous old types of transport
Empire State Building and other
including old cars, subways etc.
parts of Manhattan. Later on
Later on I went on a night out
I visited the World Trade Center
to one of the nightclubs and I
and I saw there was a construction
had a drink and it was good.
and it looks like they were building a memorial skyscraper.
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Day 6
“On my last day I went to the
“Later on I went on the airlink
Metropolitan Museum of Art.
to the airport and checked in
In the museum they have historical
and handed my suitcase and went
collections and sculptures amongst
through security. I had a meal at
many other things. They also have
the terminal while I was waiting.
paintings and old furniture.
Later on I boarded the plane and
I visited Central Park for the
travelled home”.
last time and then I went back to my hostel to print my boarding pass so I could get a seat on the aircraft that I was happy about.
“I packed my suitcase and checked out of the hostel, however, as I had a long wait for the airlink to pick me up I was able to put my suitcase in a locker.
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17
Planning For The Trip
On reflection… by Nigel’s support team
Planning
my life. my time. is perfectly Nigel. Reading this story brought back the memory of how much work, planning, anxiety and excitement we all experienced. It taught us that as a team all is possible when we work cohesively to help people achieve their dream.
Every aspect of the trip was planned. The team went through it from A to B and from B to A to ensure that nothing was missed. Every eventuality was thought through with a careful strategy in place should anything occur outwith the ordinary.
Nigel is supported by Turning Point Scotland’s learning disability service in the Dumfries region.
A timed and realistic activity planner was produced that covered all of Nigel’s ‘must do’s’ that gave alternatives if places were closed or full to capacity. Itemised maps were produced to link with the activity planner and timetable.
When Nigel said that he wanted to go on holiday to New York on his own, the team were anxious and didn’t really know where to begin. It took approximately 18 months for the team to plan, book, and complete necessary paperwork as well as working with Nigel to ensure that he would be safe and well as he went about achieving his dream. The majority of the work was between Nigel and his key worker, with input from a cast of thousands, or so it felt at times. The upshot was a brilliant outcome for Nigel and a massive logistical learning curve for the rest of the team. Here are some of the areas we had to cover to make the trip to New York possible: Local information An in-depth working knowledge of the geography of New York took place. Knowledge of the transport systems, buses, taxis and subway was learned in detail including timetables and locations. Each stage of the journey had to be carefully planned with alternative plans in case of delays or cancellations. Working with Nigel the team helped produce a list of places of interest which he would like to visit. The diary extracts highlight where Nigel ended up visiting. From drawing up an initial list it was quickly condensed into places where Nigel would be safe and comfortable within himself.
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Nigel took a pre-programmed mobile phone with contact numbers on quick dial should he need it. Throughout the planning process Nigel enjoyed some mini-trips to help prepare himself for the holiday to New York. He flew to London and back to experience flying on his own. This was a positive experience for him, and as his confidence grew the support team felt they were making steady progress to prepare him for the next stage. Risk management and contingency plans Risk management was conducted for every aspect of the trip including the journey, accommodation, safety, belongings and money. High risk areas were identified and through risk management the team worked with Nigel to ensure he would be safe or have an alternative plan in place which he was comfortable with. Contingency plans for all eventualities were in place. The team made links with Autism and Asperger’s groups in New York who could offer support should the situation arise. Nigel didn’t require assistance, but having this support in place should the situation arise put Nigel and the team at ease. Plans were in place should illness strike or flights were cancelled or missed.
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Nigel Having highlighted in his care plan that Nigel finds some social settings difficult, the team spent time through one to one sessions going over the vulnerabilities he could be open to in social settings. Nigel’s past history left him having negative feelings about the police. The team felt it wise to introduce him to the New York Police Department in advance of his trip. Together we looked at the NYPD website to look at images of the uniform and the police vehicles. By being familiar with this before arriving in New York we felt that this would best prepare him and reduce his anxiety. An identification card was made for Nigel to carry on him at all times. If on the off chance he ran into a difficult situation, Nigel could produce the card which said “please call an appropriate person on my behalf�. Details of the Turning Point Scotland service were also listed. The trip was a success. Nigel emailed the support team each day at a prearranged time to say that he was safe and well. This relaxed the staff team back at the base while Nigel was enjoying the sites of New York! It was important for Nigel to have this point of contact. At times Nigel had to consult his contingency plans as situations arose. He made good use of his activity planner and itemised maps. It has been a huge learning experience for Nigel and also for the support team. One we might repeat should Nigel wish to jet off again sometime soon.
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my life. my time.