Section G Getting it right

Capturing what makes a good life for a person

There are a number of ways of recording information about your relative and plans for their future. These can be used to make sure that everyone has access to information about how to best support your relative. These plans are organic documents, they should be updated over time so they meet your relative’s current needs and stay relevant as they grow older.

These plans include:

Education, Health and Care Plan (0-25yrs)
Transition Plan (14-19yrs)
Communication Passport
Person Centred Plan
Positive Behaviour Support Plan
Health Action Plan
Communication Support Plan
Sensory Integration Plan/Diet

These plans are described in the glossary.

Scenarios:

Michael was having really bad days of hitting, pushing and scratching people, and sometimes breaking things around his house. After studying when these episodes happened and doing a thorough health check, Michael’s GP prescribed a medicine for acid reflux. This worked extremely well and Michael’s challenging behaviour quickly reduced.

Paz had started to hit her ears and face, causing red marks. She had never done this before and it was got more severe over a few months. The GP and other professionals did not know what to suggest, so a psychiatrist prescribed antipsychotic medication. A visit to the dentist then revealed that Paz’s teeth were in a bad condition and she had been experiencing dental pain. She had two teeth removed and four fillings put in. There was an instant change in her behaviour and she seemed more relaxed. As her self-injurious behaviour had reduced so much, the doctor stopped the antipsychotic after two months. Paz was back to her old self and enjoying life again.

Rebecca used to live in a residential care home and took three different kinds of medication in addition to PRN medication. She moved into her own home and new support was planned for her, using Positive Behaviour Support. Detailed support planning has helped to reduce the need for Rebecca to use challenging behaviours and has meant that she now takes just a very small dose of one medication with no PRN. Rebecca’s plans have a focus on thinking about behaviour as a method of communication, which has helped in finding out the reasons for specific behaviours and what they might be trying to say to us. These can be general things such as not wanting to wait, to very specific things such as certain weather conditions. One of the biggest changes about how Rebecca was supported using Positive Behaviour Support was having choice. Rebecca uses photos and the choice of one of two hands presented to her to make her own decisions about all kinds of things such as where to go or what to eat. Environmental changes were made in Rebecca’s home. Having space is important for Rebecca as she doesn’t like sitting next to other people, so staff ensure she can have her own space, but can also choose to join in with other people when she wants to. Rebecca enjoys spending lots of time in the community now, she has much more flexibility to decide what she wants to do and plans can be made around her needs. Rebecca has picture timetables to explain what is happening during the day and which carers will be coming that week. As well as greatly reducing the medication she was taking, Rebecca is less anxious and is now more trusting of the people who support her.

Jason’s family and the professionals who support him have worked together over the years to put in place a range of support and interventions that meet his needs. He has a Communication Passport and Social Stories are used to explain things to him. He has an active lifestyle and is part of several clubs. Jason takes a low dose of medication that reduces his anxiety, alongside clinical psychologist intervention and support for his family too. His family, psychologist and others review how all these things are working for him each year and make any changes needed. The behaviour that Jason displayed when he was younger is very rarely seen now and everyone agrees he has a good quality of life.