Little things make a BIG difference!

At Friendship, alongside our housing services a significant part of what we do is supporting people and caring for their individual needs.  We believe people have a right to live the way they want to live and to be able to make choices in life that suit them. We work hard to make sure people receive the right support so that they are able to shape the kind of help they really want or need.

We all think moving home is one of the most stressful situations we face in life.  But for three of our residents a whole new life awaited them as they recently moved from long-term residential care into independent, supported living.

Two of them had been hospitalised for nearly 50 years and the third had previously lived in a registered care home, so they were all used to living very structured and contained daily lives.

Moving out was a really big change for them.   Their families were worried what might happen, but it was so rewarding to see those nerves soon being replaced with joy and excitement, when they saw the transformation in their loved ones.

The little things we take for granted every day; like being taken out for a meal, popping to the shops or getting on a bus are making such a big difference.  If you’ve never done those things before, it’s a magical experience and lovely to watch people growing in confidence as they adapt to the changes.  They’re still receiving a high level of support, but with much greater freedom than they’ve had in years.