Ronan’s Story
At 22, Ronan is a young man grabbing life with both hands. Getting out and exploring, taking train trips to the Gold Coast, weekend getaways, and even attending the huge Ed Sheeran stadium concert in Brisbane! Yet this is all in complete contrast to the way Ronan lived just a few short years ago. His life has turned around with the support of his consistent, caring and dedicated For Care team.
As Ronan was growing into adulthood – a time when many young people are gaining independence – he could barely leave his home. Ronan would either isolate, or attach himself to his mum, Akira. With a complex diagnosis of autism with schizophrenia, medications just weren’t working effectively, and he was in and out of hospital.
Ronan’s illness meant that something as seemingly simple as a trip to the shops was overwhelming. His extreme fear of changes in weather would trigger regular escalations. Music also was a double-edged sword: he loved it, and it could calm him, but listening for too long triggered escalations for him too.
Reaching Out For Help
Akira was his safe place. But if she ever had to leave him at home to go out, Ronan couldn’t cope, to the point where his escalations would result in property damage. He wanted to go out, wanted friends, but simply couldn’t cope. Akira was pushed almost to breaking point before she reached out for help.
“I was a helicopter mum with his needs, and I had a team of carers too, but they staged a kind of intervention on me,” Akira remembers.
They confronted her with the brutal truth that the situation just wasn’t sustainable. “They also told me “This is so much stress on you – look, you’re on the point of a breakdown.”
Akira sought emergency respite for Ronan, and says it was an emotional roller coaster. “It was a relief, but part of me felt so guilty, like I’d abandoned my responsibility to my son. However, I soon came to see that when you get the right people in place, professionals who know what they’re doing, it’s actually great. Everyone can be happy, and no one’s getting burned out.” They decided to apply for a more permanent arrangement for Ronan, in Supported Independent Living.
The For Care Way
The For Care team took the time to listen and understand Ronan’s situation, and moved quickly to build a support team around his individual care needs.
“We really make sense of what each person needs,” explains For Care Group Coordinator, Amber Hills.
“We take stock of what kind of interactions they have, the kinds of influences already in their lives. We build a team around that,” she says.
“We noted that Mum was a really nurturing influence on Ronan. So, while building his team, we made sure to include support workers with that similar nurturing, calm personality.”
With this consistent support team in place, they were able to build a strong foundation of trust with Ronan, along with regular routines, which in time gave him the confidence to start challenging his fears. They started leaving the house, learning how to use public transport, and gradually seeing what the outside world has to offer.
Akira says the support and consistency for Ronan, in his own SIL home, has been life changing.
“Finding the right companions has been wonderful. He really looks forward to meeting new people, and to seeing his carers,” she says.
“Having a roommate and living independently was so good for him. The carers were able to educate him on healthy food, the importance of a healthy diet, and he’s able to make those choices for himself as well. That gives him independence and is good for his wellbeing.”
Ronan’s now doing things that would have been unthinkable a few years ago – such as going away for a weekend farmstay to Bundaberg, travelling by train. Attending the Ed Sheeran concert in Brisbane was a huge step, and Ronan is eager to see more shows – Guy Sebastian is next on his wishlist. He is even looking forward to a trip to Melbourne, and after that, an overseas holiday may even be on the cards!
The regular, daily escalations that often required medication, are now a thing of the past. If Ronan ever starts to feel overwhelmed, his team understands him and what he needs, so they can support him to calm himself.
And for Akira, she knows they are a world away from where they were just a few years ago.
“We were always geared towards independence for Ronan. I want to set him up to be independent of me, so that if anything happens, I’ll know that Ronan is okay.
Having For Care as part of our lives, I know we’re on the right track.”
