tracscare - Case Studies

John (not his real name) suffered a severe head injury as a result of a road traffic accident some ten years ago. Whilst John has no phsyical impairments he was left with cognitive deficit and organic personality change. These difficulties meant that John cannot plan and carry out tasks as he used to. John also finds it hard to contol his impulses and his behaviour. This led to the breakdown of his marriage and his entering a tracscare home to receive the support he required. Over the years John was helped to learn new strategies to minimise the impact of these difficulties. John slowly regained many of the independent skills he had lost and he regained the confidence to regulate his own behaviour. John became a popular character in the area and is a well-liked ‘regular’ in his local Pub.

Recently John moved into his own flat. The tracscare staff have helped ensure he is still receiving the support he requires and John still regularly returns to the home to visit his friends.

David (not his real name) was diagnosed as having Aspergers Syndrome and experiencing psychotic symptoms when he was admitted into a Psychiatric Hospital after he split up with his girlfriend. When David was stable he came to live at tracscare to get the support needed to help him rebuild his life. David received specialist Pyschotherapy and the staff helped him learn new ways to manage his anxieties. David was also helped to learn and practice new social skills. His programme of activities has slowly built up as his confidence has returned. David currently attends a local college where he enjoys cooking and art classes. With support and encouragement he is learning basic life skills in the home. He is a regular at his local gym and has been helping his family to decorate their new home. David has been completely free of any symptoms of mental ill-health since moving into the home.

Adrian (not his real name) has learning difficulties and challenging needs. He came to live in a tracscare home after many failed placements both as an adolescent and as a young man. Adrian continued to challenge services in tracscare despite the team’s positive approaches based on Studio 111 low arousal principles. More recently clinicians have recognised that autistic tendencies, especially anxiety, underlie Adrian’s behaviour. Adrian’s care plan has been redeveloped to very specifically address all potential anxieties and recognised stressors, eg money availability, activities, meal times, meetings. A dedicated team work very closely with Adrian to provide predictability and consistency. Twelve months into this new approach Adrian has been enjoying the most settled period of his adult life. He still needs intensive support but he is visibly less anxious and is able to enjoy an improved quality of life.

Mark (not his real name) has an acquired brain injury as the victim of a violent assault. Despite a good physical recovery, it was apparent that Mark had remaining cognitive deficits which made it difficult for him to pick up his previous life. Mark experienced memory deficits and disexecutive syndrome (manifest in an inability to organise himself through any activity involving a sequence and the inability to problem solve). He also experienced anger management problems which had an effect on his social functioning. During his time at tracscare the team have slowly assisted Mark in rebuilding his skills and confidence. Thus, through involvement in tracscare Brain Injured Group and through individual work, Mark has adopted a range of compensatory strategies (which include memory aids, cue cards, anger rating and anger management) that have enabled him to move on to tracscare semi-independent Bedsit Unit and to maintain a part time job. Although he may always need a degree of discrete support, Mark has regained a level of control over his life.