Our Impact in Gwent: 2022-23

Going more places and making more friends

Alex lives with his family in Newport and until recently had always received support during the daytime. However, when a member of Alex’s family had to go into hospital for an operation, he needed more support during the evenings.

The additional support turned out to be a real benefit for Alex, and his sleep patterns improved significantly.

Together, Alex and his circle of support decided that the extra evening support hours for Alex should remain in place permanently. As well as meaning a better nights sleep for the whole family, it also allowed more time to go out on more adventures because he could now return home much later in the evening.

Alex didn’t just go on these trips on his own –other people in Gwent and Powys were also asked where they would like to go. You can tell from some of the destination choices that there are a lot of animal lovers; Longleat, Noah’s Ark Farm Park and Bristol Aquarium were all popular picks.

Because of the number of support staff required, and the need for flexibility, people travelled in their own cars, but organised several pit stops during the journey where they met up with each other.

The trips have also been a great opportunity for staff to come together and share new ideas and learning. Everyone has benefited from the trips – people’s worlds have opened up and staff felt supported. We’re planning to do lots more in the future, and look forward to everyone growing in confidence.

Alex’s parents said:

Alexander has been introduced to new activities and a wider social circle, which has made a big difference to his life. The extra evening support has also greatly improved our quality of life.

Alex (centre) enjoying a day trip and meeting new friends

Alex enjoying a mirus stars event in Cardiff

Spending more time with others means that everyone, including Alex, was able to build relationships and increase their network of support.

Increasing independence and encouraging interests

Justin and Rhys, who live in separate bungalows at Kennard Court, have new independence and discreet support thanks to a new technology system in their home. The system uses Amazon Echo devices and Ring door sensors that allow staff to regularly check on the safety of them both, increasing their independence at home.

The Ring sensors are designed to detect when a door is opened, instantly notifying the staff through Alexa. This real-time alert system provides peace of mind for both the individuals and the staff, as any unexpected or potentially risky situations can be promptly addressed.

The devices allow two-way communication, and have given Justin and Rhys the ability to speak with staff whenever they need assistance or simply wish to engage in a conversation.

They can confidently navigate their daily lives, knowing that help is just a voice command away, while staff can fulfil their duty of care without intruding on their privacy.

Rhys has also embraced the use of his smartphone to access the internet, and has a good understanding of online safety. As a result he has been able to use the internet to explore his passions and interests more freely.

Using technology has opened up a world of possibilities for Rhys, enabling him to pursue his interests with confidence and independence.

The network of devices have not only improved the safety and wellbeing of Justin and Rhys but has also empowered them to enjoy more independence.

Rhys’ love for history has flourished as he now uses the internet to research historical sites before visiting them.

Rhys visiting historical buildings after researching them online

Justin and Rhys celebrating at an event in Cardiff

Sharing adventures to recruit the right people

Tomos and Evan have been getting out and enjoying life so much that their manager decided to make a video compilation of all the exciting activities they have tried.

First, the two friends visited places they hadn’t been, by train, and enjoyed the great outdoors with a picnic. Next, the daredevils tried some more adrenaline fuelled activities, including surfing and speedboat rides!

The two friends were thrilled to see themselves on film, as were their families.

It was very emotional for everyone to see all that Evan and Tomos had achieved.

For staff it was a real tonic – a fantastic way to show them that all their hard work is so worthwhile.

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No one would deny that the job of a support worker can sometimes be difficult – this video is a very clear reminder of the fact that, in spite of the challenges, the role is an incredibly fulfilling one.

This powerful video has now been made part of an advertising campaign to employ new staff for Evan and Tomos. Hopes are high that there will soon be new applicants for the role.

Supporting Evan and Tomos certainly looks like one long adventure !

Tomos and Evan on their adventures

Morecon tent online

Working together as a team

Each month all service managers in Gwent meet up to share ideas and information, and build bonds and a feeling of community. When Covid-19 limited the number of people who could safely meet up indoors at one time, Area Manager Peter Davies came up with an idea to ensure his meetings could still go ahead.

Peter knew the importance of these meetings, and whilst they could be held virtually, nothing could replace the feeling of being ‘in it together’.

With this in mind, Peter arranged a management meeting on the top of Pen y Fan! Peter knew that everyone needed a boost after lockdown, and what better than a walk for everyone’s wellbeing.

Everyone was nervous about the climb, and concerned about what the weather was going to be like. Luckily blue skies stretched out above them as they started their trek. Peter rallied the team and even brought along his dog Holly for the adventure!

One of the managers really struggled and wanted to give up quite early on into the walk. All of the team boosted her confidence, and encouraged and supported her the entire way. They knew that they all needed to get to the top as a team, and Peter said: “We would have carried you up the mountain if we needed to”.

When they reached the top the team sat down and celebrated their achievement. Peter told the team what he admired about each member, and encouraged them to do the same about each other. They also talked about what happiness and success look like to them as individuals, and linked this back to the people they support and how they view success and happiness.

Peter held his next meeting during a picnic in the park. When the meeting was over, Peter led the managers to a river where they learned how to paddleboard! Next for Peter’s team is a Camping expedition led by an RAF Instructor!

Pete and his managers love a challenge and so the idea of climbing Pen y Fan - the highest peak in south Wales, was born.

It was a tough climb, but Peter said:

“The aches and pains on the climb were soon overtaken by the joy of reaching the top and seeing the view below”

The managers after reaching the top of Pen y Fan

Using

Historically, Mark has struggled with being able to communicate his feelings, and instead used some challenging behaviours to try and make people understand that he was unhappy about something.

However, a few years ago Mark was introduced to a SALT app called Gemiini, which plays short videos showing Mark examples of appropriate communication. Mark enjoys watching these every day and will repeat the phrases to staff although not usually in context.

Slowly, Mark began to use some of the sentences in context, to communicate to staff that there was something wrong.

The first time Mark used a sentence from the app was when he bumped his elbow while making breakfast.

Rather than biting his finger, which is his usual way of communicating that something is wrong, Mark took the staff members hand and placed it on his elbow and used the phrase from one of his Gemiini videos “ouch that hurt”, and staff were amazed.

Mark was also able to let staff know that his shoe was broken. Usually, staff would have to distract Mark to get his broken shoes and replace them with an identical pair.

On this occasion staff communicated verbally to Mark that they were broken and needed to go in the bin. Mark handed the pair of shoes to staff and said “put them in the bin” then waited for the staff member to get him a new pair, Mark accepted these with no issues and carried on to enjoy his day.

This is a huge step forward for Mark and staff are looking forward to the next time Mark amazes them by telling them verbally what he wants or needs.

Justin in the photobooth with friend Rhys

technology to communicate

House of Deviant provided fabulous entertainment

Mark using the Gemiini app to communicate

Celebrating the achievements of our stars

We held a mirus stars awards event to celebrate the fantastic achievements and great things that the people we support and our staff accomplished.

People connected with mirus used our mirus moments form to nominate others throughout the year, based on achievements that matched our values; Together, Respectful, Responsible, Empowering and Courageous. Our mirus reps from each region then had the difficult task of selecting 40 of the very best nominations out of a total of 192, and those people became our mirus stars semi-finalists.

At our mirus stars pre-awards parties, held in Cardiff and Swansea City Stadiums, we read out the nominations of our 40 semi-finalists, and encouraged everyone to vote for their favourite using electronic voting pads. Each category had 4 people selected to go forward to the final stage as mirus stars finalists, which were chosen by our Trustees.

The mirus stars awards event itself was a fabulous celebration, with Alex who is supported by mirus, and staff member Jamie dressed as the greatest showmen to introduce the event and get the crowd cheering. Everyone was so excited to see who the winners for the events were, and to celebrate their success with them.

To end the event, the fabulous drag collective ‘House of Deviant’ took to the stage, and lip synced, danced and encouraged the audience to take part in challenges.

House of Deviant is Wales’ first inclusive drag troupe for people with learning disabilities, and Sophie Scheeres, who is supported by mirus in Cardiff, performs as Miss Shade B****. They are fierce, sassy, and incredible performers, and their passion and excitement on the day of the event was contagious!

We received an inspirational nomination for Justin, who is supported by mirus in Gwent. Justin was a semi-finalist for the category Courageous.

Justin has come so far in the short time he has been supported by mirus. He spoke up when he was struggling, and as a result we were able to work together to overcome the situation. Justin makes good choices to manage his health condition - his health team have reduced their involvement. He has overcome his fear of public transport, and now plans trips using buses and rail. He has also mastered using ‘Alexa’ to give him more independence.

We can’t wait to see what amazing nominations next year’s awards brings.

Our winners: Allan, Beth, Andreya, Matthew, Kat and Sophie (not pictured)