Having a non-verbal child with complex needs is difficult

Having a non-verbal child with complex needs is difficult enough at any age, but it gets even harder when they mature and start to approach adulthood. This is the case with Logan who at 16 years old is already six feet tall and strong which means due to the complexity of his needs (he has a profound intellectual disability, autism, epilepsy and several other diagnoses) he can often take his frustrations out on people around him.

Logan’s main carers are his mum and dad and he also has a younger brother, Ashton.

We began supporting the family just under two years ago and he has either two to one or three to one care at all times, Our Support Workers are with Logan for four hours each Saturday and five hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the school holidays.

This provides the family with some vital respite time so they can go out of the home knowing Logan is in the safest of hands.

A consistent team of highly trained staff

Logan has a consistent team of highly trained staff but there is one Support Worker, Andrew, with whom Logan has built a particularly special bond with and which mum Fay says has made a massive difference to her son.

“Logan is a lovely and bubbly boy, but he can be aggressive at times and so building relationships with people are a big thing for him,” she explains.

“He’s got used to us saying Andrew’s name, so when we tell him Andrew is coming, his face lights up with the biggest smile, which is unreal. Andrew understands him and when he brings him back after visiting KFC or his favourite inflatable venue, he is shattered because he has had such a good time.

“There are lots of things Logan don’t want us to do with us as a family but when he does the same things with Andrew he loves them, so that really sums up what a great relationship they have.”

Incredibly happy with the service from Caremark

Fay says the family are incredibly happy with the service they receive from Caremark, having chosen us from a list of providers when they realised they needed professional support as Logan got older.

“We were reluctant about accepting support at first as it was all new to us, but it got to a point where we needed extra help with Logan and we couldn’t have made a better choice than Caremark,” Fay explains.

“It’s made it easier for us as a family and when Logan is with the Support Workers it means we can spend more quality time focusing on Ashton who is also autistic but not as severely as his brother.

“So, on Saturdays, we do things with Ashton and on Sundays we do things together as a family and that means we now have a nice balance as a family.”

About Caremark Rotherham & Sheffield

If you have a child with complex needs and are in need of a little bit of support, please have a look at the complex care in Rotherham and Sheffield we offer or contact our team directly today on 01709 789340.