When we met Barry he was in a local care home where he had been placed by the local authority following self-neglect.  He was suffering from depression and anxiety and hadn’t even allow carers to dress him as he just didn’t want to be alive any more. He had lived with his brother in a bungalow and when his brother had died he had given up on life.  He had a deep distrust for the NHS that had led to him having a catheter and stent in situ for 5 years even though they were meant to be temporary.  His property had fallen into disrepair and had become infested with rats.  The garden was so overgrown that brambles reached the top of the bungalow roof.  We told Barry about our services and that if he wanted to return home we could arrange for the property to be renovated.

At the initial meeting he seemed unengaged and we thought we wouldn’t hear back from him but a week later we were called back to the care home as he had thought about what we said and had decided that even if he didn’t return home, it would be better to do the renovations to the property so it could be sold.  Little by little we got to know Barry and would take in photos on the iPad to show him the progress we were making.  It was a full scale renovation starting with getting rid of the rats and clearing the property of anything that had become contaminated.  We visited Barry with suggestions for a new accessible bathroom and kitchen and managed to restore some of his family furniture and possessions.

Over the months Barry become more and more animated and excited about returning home.  It was magical to see his face when he stepped through his front door.  The garden had been cleared and decking put in place for him to sit in the summer months.  The interior had been thoroughly renovated and decorated and the change in the property mirrored the change in Barry.

Barry returned home to live 2 years ago and has continued to thrive at home with carers in place and our ongoing support.  He recently attended our offices in person with a lovely box of chocolates and thank you card, he remains so grateful to us for “giving him his life back”.