Thank you for the Music
Thank you for the Music
Person centred care is at the core of the way we work at Frontier Support. It’s all about fitting the care and support to the person and putting them in the driving seat of their own lives. So that means working with them to deliver care in a way that fits with their aims, desires and values. And Neil’s record room is a really good example of this.
We support three men in their home in Croydon and they are all music lovers so our support workers helped them to convert a spare room into a space to enjoy their favourite hobby.
Working together they cleaned out the room and then discussed how they wanted it to look, what they wanted in there and how they would use it. The have a huge record collection, mainly from the 1940s to 1980s, and decided to use some of the album covers to decorate the room.
In addition, our support workers have incorporated sensory elements such as coloured lights, a disco ball, music boxes and a plug-in diffuser with essential oils.
All of which makes for a safe and relaxing space. One of the guys, Neil, especially likes to escape there when he is anxious or agitated. He can play his vinyl (usually loudly!) and focus on the music and his thoughts. At other times our support workers can use the room to work through the breathing exercises and his five senses plan both – tools designed to help him manage his own behaviour.
But the room is also a valuable communal space – a common area of interest that brings the housemates together and enables them to indulge their love of music and DJing
Tony Piercy, CEO of Frontier Support, said: “The record room has been a great hit – if you’ll pardon the pun! The guys in the house have been fully involved in its creation and so the finished result is exactly what they wanted. And I’m really proud of our support workers who were so committed and enthusiastic about this project.”