MyLife News

Today a young man looked through his window to welcome the morning.

This was no ordinary morning. This was the first morning in 7 years he was looking through his very own window. It wasn’t a hospital window any more, with hospital staff saying what he could and couldn’t do – he was finally in his own home.

It’s been two and a half years since we had the first ever conversation with his Mum saying “there must be another way”. The My Life Support team put together a support plan, secured a Third Party Personal Health Budget, found him a capital investor to buy him a home of his choice, but most importantly they listened.

We visited week after week to the hospital, we got to know him, what he liked and what he didn’t like and critically where he wanted to live and what kind of people would help and support him.

Yesterday he finally moved in, with his brilliant staff team. We know there will be ups and downs, but for now we are all enjoying the moment.

Thank you for everyone who has been part of this long amazing journey… you have changed another life forever!

Please take a look at our My Life Support page if you’d like to find out more about our crucial work.

My Life is delighted to announce that the Care Quality Commission has this week rated our personalised care service My Life Support as good in all aspects. 

As part of the inspection process, the CQC base their findings on five important areas, looking at whether the care and support service in the home is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. My Life’s entire ethos is based around ensuring people who need support have care that is tailor made to their needs, so we were keen to show inspectors how we ensure My Life Support lives out that mission. 

That’s why we were so pleased that the report said we “supported people to have the maximum possible choice, control and independence over their own lives,” while focusing on their strengths and what they could do, “giving them fulfilling and meaningful everyday lives”.  

We were also praised for our care, with our highly skilled registered managers demonstrating “a commitment to people” that then supported them to achieve good outcomes. “People received kind and compassionate support,” the report continued, and we were delighted to read that we were trusted to keep them safe.

And as a wider organisation, we were really pleased to see that the culture between leaders, staff and people was judged as being open and inclusive. We feel this aspect is particularly important as it empowers and encourages people to evaluate the quality of support they give and receive, helps staff to take steps to increase their skills and knowledge, and most of all makes the relationships between staff and people who need support – and their families – really positive. 

Perhaps the best line in the report – which you can read in full here – comes right at the end. “Staff placed people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did.” 

We’re thrilled that the support that we provide to so many incredible people and their families has been recognised by the CQC in this way. If you’d like to know more about how we might be able to help you or your family, please do get in touch. 

Our famous family-friendly Halloween events have been a spooktacular success in recent years – so now’s the time to book for 2022’s all-new experience at Thompson House Equestrian Centre. 

This year we’re holding the Spooktacular over two nights, from 6-8pm, on Friday 28th October and Saturday 29th. It’s just £5 for all. 

Featuring spooky games, a haunted house and Standish’s scariest circus*, there’s plenty of ways to get into the ‘spirit’ of Halloween – and you can also enjoy plenty of ghoulish delicacies provided by Stable Door Cafe. 

My Life’s Halloween events are devised and presented by our members, giving them a huge sense of belonging to their community. When you buy a ticket for Halloween, you’re doing far more than simply having fun. You’re supporting and investing in our vision that everyone feels that they can use their gifts to contribute. 

As one of our members, Matthew, said about last year’s event:

Friday October 21, 7.30pm

Who’s up for a fantastic clothes swapping night at Stable Door Cafe? Bring 3 items of clothing you’ve grown tired of, and swap them with another three you like the look of! 

Actually, don’t stop at 3 – bring as many as you like and we can recycle the rest. 

Shoes, handbags and fascinators are also welcome – we advise you to bring anything in advance of the night to our collection point, where we can then process everything ready to show it off!

Our bar will be open, there’ll be a raffle and entertainment throughout the evening. 

Tickets are just £5 per person, including delicious nibbles from Stable Door Cafe. 

It’s going to be a fantastic night, so make sure you book now by calling 01257 472900

When we started our Tea With A Pony sessions in May, the idea was simple. We wanted to adapt the Riding for the Disabled Association’s Tea With A Pony scheme – a meaningful activity to help those living with dementia to enjoy time in an equine environment – to meet the specific needs and skills of our community. We could never have imagined the impact it has had in such a short space of time.  

As one carer said: “It seems to have helped her memory, I’m not sure how, but it has, and, more than anything, it’s been like a light has turned back on again. It’s the warmth of an animal, an animal that trusts you – the present fades away and it takes her back to just warm memories.”  

We’d already done some pre-pandemic work with an organisation called Community Circles to invite residential care homes and nursing homes to My Life so they could experience what we do. So when it came to Tea with a Pony, we were really excited to welcome people with dementia into Thompson House Equestrian Centre, give them a cup of tea and watch the horses being led around the arena. Once they’d watched the display, we’d bring the horses to them so they could stroke them, spend time with them and hopefully unlock memories and experiences.  

What’s made My Life’s Tea with a Pony sessions so special – and important – is that the people leading the horses were our My Life Learning students taking part in equine studies, and our members in My Life Opportunities enjoying their bespoke equine programme. We’d done a lot of preparatory work with these groups of people so they would not only be competent at leading the ponies but also confident in directing them in a display.  

Our students and members therefore had the opportunity to give something back to their community – and the results were spectacular. There was something incredibly powerful at work when they brought over the ponies – all of a sudden young people were interacting with old, the common bond of the horse sparking off incredible conversations and encouraging the kind of meaningful engagement that is so important for both groups of people.  

Such experiences led a couple of the students from My Life Learning to think about what they might want to do after college. One person in particular began to consider how they might work with older people in a care setting, and we’ll certainly be using our connections to suggest that idea is followed up with some work experience.  

So from a simple cup of tea with a pony, numerous doors begin to open for everyone, doors that we want to lead people through to a meaningful future. And opportunities for My Life to grow too – we have begun some work with people with dementia, and as a result of this Tea with a Pony series of events, we’ve struck up a quite incredible relationship with Linda. 

Linda’s Lessons 

Linda has owned horses all her life. When her last one passed away earlier this year, it was telling that her dementia began to have a significant effect on her quality of life. It was as if the horse had given her a purpose, a firm rooting in life. So when she was introduced to us, we began with some   gentle grooming, although it was pretty evident that she just wanted to ride!  

Once she got on and we began the lesson something quite amazing happened. It was like a switch had gone on and she could just ride. And not just ride, trot! The positivity that comes with riding is a true joy for Linda – and wonderful for us to be able to facilitate.  

Once the lesson is over, she’ll talk about the horses she’s had and dig out old photographs she’s taken. Meanwhile her husband is sitting with his friends, watching, but getting a much-needed break.  

“Well done Linda and to all at Thompson House Equestrian Centre who help Linda” 

It’s important to note that our young people are also leading these lessons, developing a relationship with Linda themselves and also gaining an understanding of dementia. It arms them with the skills they might need to approach the condition in their own family environments, as well as the confidence to consider how they might use the skills they’ve learnt in a suitable career. 

“Wonderful, and so are all those young people helping make this happen for Linda.” 

Sometimes, people ask us how the experiences we offer make an impact. We think Tea with a Pony is our mission to work in a person-centred way with people of all ages who may need support in action; from a nice idea we are able to give people skills, confidence, a meaningful activity and connections with their community.  

As we always say, these sessions allow people to think about what matters, rather than be constantly asked “what’s the matter.”  

If your organisation would like to enquire about booking a Tea With A Pony session, please e-mail us on infomy-life.org.uk or call 01257 472900