A customers story - L
Tell me about yourself…
L lives at home with both her parents in Eton. She has been going to Oakbridge for many years, (since it opened) and she enjoys going there to meet her friends and enjoys the company. Going to the centre is valuable respite for us and enables us to continue to care for L at home. L. mobility is not a as good as it used to be so being out in the Community would be difficult and she needs a lot of support and patience as she walks slowly and needs a walking frame. L. is really vulnerable; she isn’t able to communicate verbally and she is reliant on others to keep her safe.
During the first lockdown we found it difficult and quite challenging. The family dynamic was put under strain as we have all been under the same roof. We had to get some kind of routine in place and if there was a hospital appointment, we all had to go as my wife doesn’t drive and the whole process was stressful.
The ZOOM sessions have been a lifeline for us. L. enjoys seeing her friends and is quite happy people watching, she sits and engages with who’s on the screen. She misses the companionship of her friends though. The variety of different activities has been good, exercise, story telling and music. We go for a walk in between sessions for about ¾ hr. It is important to keep stimulated and stretched. Before ZOOM home life was very monotonous.
It is really difficult to imagine what life would be like without the support that we get. L. is so vulnerable, we trust the staff who know her well and understand how to communicate with her and how she communicates, they are well trained. The security of the centre and the fact that it is a safe and stimulating environment are all really important to us. The communication we have with the staff is very good. As I mentioned, L. mobility has deteriorated and with the links staff have with the other professionals, she now has a walker which means she can still go out with her friends.
L. enjoys being with a mixture of people, different ages/ abilities although the younger people who are a bit livelier could be a bit of a risk. She loved volunteering at the Windsor Day Centre, helping to tidy up and ‘talking’ to the ladies and gents. L. seemed to know when she was going which was good for her understanding the days of the week and showed how much she enjoyed it.
L. comes with us to our local Bowls Club, although she isn’t able to participate, she watches the other members and claps in the right places. It would be beneficial for her to go out in the evenings and weekends with her friends. She used to do things like that with the Buddy Scheme which was run by staff from the centre and Windsor MENCAP. This isn’t running anymore.
Transport is a concern, L. used to get a taxi to and from the centre as we live in Eton, there isn’t a bus available. This was a big concern for us initially as L. is so vulnerable, there were a few teething problems at first but over time, we were able to build up trust with some of the regular Taxi drivers.
Since COVID-19 we have been taking L. to Windsor and we are happy to continue to do this all being well, as we feel that it is safer. We do our best to keep safe, we don’t go to the shops like we used to, L. liked t do this regularly and it was a reason to go out and about. Now we go out for walks and stay away from the usual pathways.
We are very happy with the service and support that L. gets at Oakbridge Centre. If the service closed for any reason it would be disastrous for L. and the other people that go there. A service is essential for the other people that use it and their families who are supporting them. We are extremely grateful to the service and all the staff.