A world of potential and opportunity has opened for 74-year-old Helen since she moved into shared accommodation at Minda in December 2022.
After a bad fall last year that made her wheelchair bound, Helen required additional support.
Helen and her family were given an opportunity to visit a shared accommodation setting at Minda and meet with potential new housemates and staff.
Discovering all the opportunities for skill building and community participation activities, Helen quickly felt ‘I’m home’ and decided this was where she wanted to live.
Although moving to a new environment can sometimes be daunting or overwhelming, Helen has taken to her new surroundings like a duck to water, sharing her love for Elvis Presley with her housemates and cracking jokes with her support staff.
Getting that extra high-care support with daily chores and personal care as well as living in more accessible accommodation allows Helen to live the life she wants to live.
Helen’s choice to participate in a range of community participation activities has also allowed her to express herself and establish great connections. She now has the confidence again to go out into the community, with some help from a Minda Support Worker, and enjoy the outdoors and her precious decaf coffee again.
“I really like it here. I am able to do things I like.”
Helen’s niece, Sidonie, praised the easy and smooth move to Minda. She described the level of care that Helen has received as fabulous.
“Helen's move last year has been a great success for her as well as her family,” Sidonie said.
“Being in a wheelchair has been a difficult adjustment for Helen, but the support she has received since moving into shared accommodation at Minda has been first-class.”
“Helen has a specific intellectual disability that can be challenging to manage, but Minda has done a sterling job matching her with peers with similar interests and coordinating staff to meet her physical and emotional needs,” Sidonie said.
“Right from the start, staff have made her feel safe and happy, giving her the confidence she needed to engage in life again. We were thrilled to hear her call it her ‘home’. It is reassuring to us that she has found her happy place.”
Moving has not only provided Helen with new experiences, she has also found a place to remain as independent as possible with the support she requires, which brings her true happiness.
Minda’s Home & Living Support (Supported Independent Living) provides people living with an intellectual disability the opportunity to live as independently as possible, while also receiving the relevant level of support that the individual needs.
Visit our Home & Living Supports page to view all the current SIL Vacancies Minda has available. If you have any questions about Minda’s Home & Living Support (SIL), or the application process, please contact 1800 164 632 or complete the contact form below.