Suzanne's Story - Advocacy Matters

Suzanne is woman diagnosed with a neurological condition. She was living on her own independently in the community but became ill and was admitted into Hospital…

After a period in hospital Suzanne was then was discharged to a Care Home on a temporary basis whilst a place was found for her to live. Suzanne’s disability meant she became angry out of the frustration of being trapped in a care home. She was aggressive towards the staff who worked there and some of the other people who lived there. The home said that she could not stay with them any longer.

Suzanne was desperate to move to live more independently again. She had seen multiple social workers and was still in a care home 7 years after she was admitted at the age of 45. Suzanne was scared that she had become institutionalised and that her mobility and health conditions had gotten worse. She was not a wheelchair user when she was first admitted to the care home.

With the support of her advocate a Senior Social Worker was allocated to support Suzanne, who then got and Occupational Therapist involved to complete an assessment to see if this Suzanne was still able to live safely and independently in the community.

If it wasn’t for advocacy I would still be living at a care home as other professionals that were involved with me before have made me promises and let me down

“I can do things when I want when it suits me”

Suzanne has now lived in the community in an adapted bungalow for two months with support of carers. She is able to get up in her own time, eat when she wants to and go to bed at a time that suits her best. She has her life and vitality back she has lost weight and looks like a different person. “I can do things when I want when it suits me.”

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Please support us by making a donation through the donation page so we can continue to support disabled people like Suzanne to lead full lives on their own terms. With your support we can recruit and train more volunteer advocates to reach disabled people in Birmingham and Walsall.

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We will be able to support people to live independently
We will be able to ensure an advocate is there for all who need one
We will provide work experience in social care for new volunteers

Support our volunteering project to continue to recruit train and vet new volunteers so we can be there when disabled people need us.

Our volunteering project will not only support younger people to be more independent but also older adults living on their own in the community.

Most prevention services designed to reduce loneliness are normally aimed at people with relatively few health or social care needs. We will will address the loneliness issues of older adults with multiple other health concerns. We intend to reverse the negative impact on health that loneliness can have, prolong people’s independence and improve overall quality of life.

Studies show that acute loneliness and social isolation can impact gravely on wellbeing and quality of life, with demonstrable negative health effects. Being lonely has a significant and lasting negative effect on blood pressure. It is also associated with depression and higher rates of mortality. One-to-one volunteering has been shown to reduce loneliness and has an important effect on depressive symptoms. Such regular one-to-one contact is particularly welcomed by people who are frail and housebound. A SCIE study of a Contact the Elderly project of befriending and group activities for older adults found:

95 per cent have made friends with the volunteers
86 per cent feel less lonely
83 per cent now feel part of a community
61 per cent feel more confident
22 per cent see their doctor less.

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