Supported living versus Residential care - personal hygiene

[Cakes2695]

Supported living versus Residential - can anyone reply with experience my daughter has tried bath settings and in both cases her personal care eg teeth cleaning was horrendous !

A team leader at my daughters Supported Living placement recently told me they have to have consent to do anything to support someone ! So when they ask closed questions my daughter will say NO it's a default but if they changed the wording and said Ok i will be back in a moment and i will run the bath my daughter will co-operate. Why is this so hard !!

[S3w3ng39]

Hi

I am sorry to read about that.

I don't think your daughter means "NO" as "NO" due her learning disabilities.

I believe it doesn't matter whether somebody is in supported living or residential living, the support workers have a duty of care to make sure that personal care is of high standard (including toothbrushing).

I have a son who is in supported living. He too is like your daughter. A "NO" is a "NO". His personal care was not great. Since there is a change of care provider, his personal care is a lot better as the staff knows how to work around him.

[Creamcrackers20]

This is all so very familiar. My daughter has lived in her own rented 2 bed flat with 24/7 support for nearly 12 years. Over this time there have been many ups and downs and there's never been a time that my input has not been needed, mainly with personal care, we as parents have the knowhow, extra authority and powers of persuasion. I also gave her the experience of living in residential, day visits, then sleepover then a weekend.

The staff planned a visit to a funfair, I warned them, please don't let her go on the Waltzer ride as she will be sick, OK they said. I picked her up on Sunday tea time and was surprised to see she had clothes on that weren't hers. The staff said she'd asked to buy the tee shirt and jogging trousers, very strange, she doesn't like new clothes and won't wear till they've been in her wardrobe for at least a month.

Back home after dinner she said, "Mum, I was sick on my clothes"

Why, I asked, "On the waltzer" she replied.

I can just imagine the job they had getting the soiled clothes off and new ones on, probably in the toilets at the funfair. She will have been a nightmare for them, serves them right but poor her.

When I tackled the Manager his answer was, "She has choices"

God give me strength !!!

No, we definitely don't want to go back to the time when people could be forced against their will to do anything but, for duty of care sake let gentle persuasion prevail and listen to Parents.

[MontyCat]

Hi. Sorry you have had such issues but it is a familiar scenario. My daughter had eleven months in supported living with a care provider that had n CQC registration and therefore could/would nor provide personal care, even though the social worker knew the extent of her needs. I have subsequently learned that even those with CQC registration are limited as to what they can do, which prevents them doing anything invasive. Teeth cleaning comes into this category, as does trimming fingernails and toenails, cleaning inside ears etc. - not much help when your child needs these things done for her/him! I also struggle to understand how support staff can fail to present questions in a way that invites cooperation and is understandable to the person they are asking (positive choices/use of images/symbols/signing/positive language), or how someone lacking capacity can be deemed to be able to make certain decisions in an informed way (like avoiding things that make them sick) but sadly this is the world we and our vulnerable young people live in. It is, as someone has already said, not the setting as such which determines the quality of care, but the people who deliver it. It is a lottery, and sadly the rate of pay for support staff does not always attract people with the comprehension and commitment our children deserve and need. Good luck - I hope you find something soon