By The Open Arms Team
This month a fair few peoples have been returning to our outreaches on a regular basis more so than previous years however what has been remarkable is the number of participants who we see becoming happier purely because they are being able to talk more about their situation which seems to empower them to grasp the situation and tackle things head on.
One young man who was telling Lee he did not usually leave the house except for his medication and food but due to the desperate situation he found himself in he came to see us on the Open Arms project. On his first visit he found it extremely difficult to speak never mind open-up. He was strimming at first but on the third visit he was virtually chatting without any sign of this every occurring. As the conversation went on, he became more confident and sounded positive. He has been given extensive information regarding some organisations and charities who he had not heard of before and he has already been in contact with several of them. He has been reconnected with a mental health connector who hopefully will be able to provide additional support. Lee has also been in touch with Rotherham Social Care to address an issue he encountered when signposted there as he was told that he came under the Sheffield service and not Rotherham. It transpires that this information was incorrect so a request for the information to be amended and staff informed was made. This was great news for the client.
He finally opened up to say he needed domiciliary care and as Lee began organising this via VAR, he informed her that he had been in contact with his sister and between them they had gone through the house and tidied it up. What an achievement for someone who was at such a low point at the very first visit. The change in him took only a few weeks.