60 year old Colin, who had lived most of his life in hostels and residential care, was moving to his first supported living flat. An insulin dependent diabetic, Colin was to receive 4 hours of support worker time a day, 8am -10am and 4pm – 6pm, during which time a community nurse would also call to administer his insulin. Colin’s sister was worried whether he would cope in his own flat. The care provider manager initially thought it was unlikely that 4 hours support a day would be sufficient.

Just Checking showed that Colin was using the kitchen and bathroom but he spent the first night on the sofa; simply because he wasn’t clear that all the rooms were ‘his’. He went out occasionally and returned safely. On two occasions he missed the community nurse call,but when the system showed he had arrived home, the care provider was able to arrange for a later call to administer his insulin.

From time to time, the front door was left ajar first thing in the morning, but Colin explained that he propped it open “to let out the cooking smells” when he prepares breakfast.

“We believed the system would prove Colin needed more support. In fact it showed that he had plenty. Colin turned out to be more capable than everyone thought.”

Care provider

Find other case studies similar to Colin’s in our Learning Disabilities booklet. (Coming soon)