“It’s been a great success – his family loves it and everyone from the district nurse to his psychiatrist have commented on how relaxing the space is. Most importantly B loves it!
Shining a light on the North East
We bring you many tales of how we strive to make the lives of those we support as great & fulfilling as possible – and sometimes it’s the more subtle differences that we make that…well – make the difference.
Light & shade comes to Ferryhill
So how about this from Oaklea’s Anita Gallagher -she and the team in Ferryhill, Durham have gone the extra mile to make a customer’s most personal space as fantastic as possible.
Making room for light…
“Customer B’s bedroom required updating and, as his needs have changed a little over the years, myself and Keith (keyworker) got together and supported B to choose new furniture including a bed, a new wardrobe, lighting and decoration. B had several mismatched pieces of furniture previously and although he has a large room, they became obstacles for his mobility. We found a wonderful wardrobe that had great storage space for all of his clothes. The unit also has a row of LED’s along the top and is a better ‘soft’ light source during the night should he require support. B’s new bed is an Ottoman and has loads of storage underneath for his bedding and chocolate treats from his Mam!”
Forget Blackpool Illuminations – Ferryhill is ablaze with colour!
Let Anita (doing her best Spielberg impression) give us a brief tour via video!
What happened next?
Anita continues: “Keith decorated the room in a clean white and we had blinds made to measure. B requires blackout blinds to ensure a good night’s sleep and a nice grey tone was chosen. B was supported to go to the blinds shop and was shown different options. He also visited the furniture shop and we knew that he liked the items suggested to him from his reactions and expressions.”
A ‘Ferry’ good feast for the senses
“In the past we have tried different sensory techniques with B, one being the sensory light room at the local leisure centre. Although he liked the lights he did not like the surroundings as they were unfamiliar to him so when refurbing his room, we decided to incorporate colour changing LED’s around his room to support him when his mental health is not so good. One of B’s favourite words is “Disco” and although he used to attend a weekly disco regularly, he no-longer goes. B has a CD player in his room and loves 80’s music and often sings along (He also has CD’s with meditation music and calming sounds including rainforests and waterfalls – There’s something for every mood!)”
Tick tock with a difference – Clocking in for a ‘Ferry’ good effort…
“B loves clocks! We found a large wall clock that he liked and this is placed directly opposite his comfy chair so he can see it. When he is in a good mood, he will tell you the time and more often than not it’s the right time! We also supported him to choose an Ottoman that sits under the clock. This is so our team can sit opposite him when he has 1-2-1 support in his room. We read stories to him and he often relaxes to the sound of our voices.”
There’s other advantages too…
Anita: “B has weekly Reiki sessions and this seems to help his mental health. The Reiki practitioner now uses the LED’s during the session and she has told us that this works well. Overall, the refurbishment of B’s room has been a great success. His family love it and everyone from the district nurse to his psychiatrist have commented on how relaxing the space is. Most importantly B loves it!
A fitting way to encompass the Oaklea values:
“Individuality, independence, interdependence, rights, respect, dignity, privacy, partnership, choice”
Big thanks to all concerned to B’s keyworker Keith, and the Oaklea team in Ferryhill – a lot of thought went into this and it has made a big impact!
; 
