Meet John, resident at Dearnevale

John came to live at Dearnevale following a life-changing fall which led to an acquired brain injury and a range of complex needs. Through the support of the Exemplar Health Care team, John can once again mobilise independently, eat and drink orally, and engage in activities at a pace that continues to impress us – and John himself!

Person-centred care for holistic needs

Before his fall in 2018, John ran a successful building business. He spent his spare time with his young daughter and coached the local pub football team.

His fall caused a thin acute subdural haematoma and contusion.

This led to an acquired brain injury, dysphasia, poor short-term memory, epilepsy, poor vision and Bell’s palsy.

Following his injury, John began to display behaviours of concern.

He also experienced reduced mobility, poor vision, and difficulties with communication and swallowing.

John needed care from a multi-disciplinary team, so he came to live with us at Dearnevale.

Rebuilding mobility with one-to-one support

Our team’s thorough assessment concluded John was at high risk of falls and he needed one-to-one support to mobilise safely.

They arranged sessions with Dearnevale’s in-house Therapy Team, where John builds his strength and range of movement.

Now, John can mobilise independently – only needing verbal prompts to guide him when he’s tired.

He enjoys walking in the local community with the Dearnevale team, and jogging with a coach to build his fitness.

He’s also returned to football training and plays on a local team.

Care adapted to individual wishes

Thanks to the high staffing levels, the team can respect John’s choices about his care while still providing essential help.

For example, instead of working with external dietitians and speech and language therapists, John prefers the in-house support he receives from the Dearnevale team.

Since expressing his wishes, John’s been able to progress more confidently at his own pace, building greater trust with staff.

He’s had his PEG feeding tube removed, and can eat and drink orally.

Providing emotional regulation strategies

Initially, John struggled to adapt to his new way of life which led to him displaying behaviours of concern.

However, the trained team at Dearnevale helped John develop strategies to understand his feelings and recognise when his emotions are about to escalate.

With guidance, John can now tell the team when he senses he’s agitated.

John looks to the staff for support so, together, they can carefully manage his symptoms before they worsen.

As a result, there’s been a dramatic reduction in the number and duration of incidents of behaviours of concern.

Maximising independence and setting creative goals

The Dearnevale team are now encouraging John to develop the life skills he needs to further build his independence and increase his social interactions.

Through regular sessions with the in-house Life Skills Team, John’s begun preparing his own meals in the therapy kitchen.

Always keen to help, he also volunteers to clean the therapy kitchen and hoover the training area weekly.

As well as setting a goal to continue to build his independent living skills, John’s amazed us with his renewed concentration and self-discipline.

Before his fall, John played the keyboard, and he’s now accessing self-taught lessons online.

His hand-eye coordination and ability to solve a Rubik’s Cube is incredible. He asks staff to mix the Cube and has completed it successfully … 423 times!