‘Absolutely extraordinary’
It has been two years since Affinity Trust started supporting Sandy at his home in Aberdeen, and the changes since then have been “absolutely extraordinary,” says Catherine, his Support Manager.
Back in 2019, Sandy had just been discharged from hospital. That was only the most recent of a series of spells as a mental health inpatient, after several attempts to support him in the community had failed. He didn’t engage with the support on offer, and had refused medication.
To support Sandy to move back home, Affinity Trust staff worked alongside his nursing staff for six weeks.
At the time Sandy was a smoker, so we supported him to buy fire-retardant bedding, and discussed the risks with the fire service. At first, Sandy would smoke outside his home. But, since August 2020, he has not smoked at all.
Health
“Since then,” says Catherine, “I can see a completely different person.”
It’s now nine months since Sandy gave up smoking. This hasn’t just improved his health; the savings have helped him afford a new bed, and he is saving up for a TV. Catherine says: “Sandy is managing his finances so much better. And he has never refused medication.”
Sandy used to need round-the-clock support. Now he needs just a few hours every day. He likes to go for walks and to spend time with his wife (they live apart). He was delighted to be able to attend his own Care Programme Approach meeting online, using Microsoft Teams.
Sandy has now found voluntary work at his local food bank and will soon start working in a café two days a week. He says he is looking forward to the future.
