The Purpose of this blog is to promote The Dyspraxia Foundation E book' "Dyspraxic Adults Surviving in a NonDyspraxic World" self
help book for dyspraxic adults. All proceeds go to the Dyspraxia
Foundation Adult support groups. Available on Amazon for £9.99
Why Dyspraxic Adults need to bear with me until August
My first week as
Adult Advisor has been really hectic. It has been one of those weeks where it
has been really busy, especially in my personal life and at work, then there
have been a DF Trustees issue that required my urgent response, due to
confidentiality I cannot disclose it yet, until it has been discussed further.
Personal
Life
Some of you may know that I am responsible for Mum
who has the middle stages of Dementia, she is still living in her own home with
support. Mum can still make her own decisions. but She finds it difficult to manage her
finances. She is now finding living in her home more of a struggle. I am her
power of Attorney over her finances with my Second Cousin Ian who has more idea
of assets than I have. I feel a bit useless as a daughter as my dyspraxia means
I cannot drive down to see her except on a Sunday as its hard to get to her
house from work by public transport. I’m sure Ian thinks I use my dyspraxia as
an excuse for not supporting my mum enough, but if I get too stressed I can’t
function to hold down my 2 part time jobs.
Just before the DF AGM and Conference I looked at my junk
mail to see if anything important was hiding in there. I came across an email
that had been there nearly a week offering my Mum an I dependence flat at
Heathlands a Jewish old people village in Prestwich. When my Grandma went into a home it was
different it was a bedroom with a sink in it. It was realised that this can
cause deterioration, institutionalisation and learned helplessness. Now if an older
person still has some level of independence they get a studio flat with a
support package according to their needs. Heathlands independence unit Moorview is upstairs. On the lower floors have units for older people who need more care
to varying degrees. On the ground floor there is an activity room, a synagogue/
entertainment hall supported by the local community, a restaurant that serves 3
meals a day, morning coffee and afternoon tea. A there is also a café that
sells snacks and a hairdressers. The Flat she wants is beautiful and overlooks
reception so she can see who’s coming and going and it overlooks a stunning
communal garden.[JT1]
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| Heathlands Village |
I wouldn’t mind living there myself. I’m not
sure due to being severely Dyspraxic, if anyone would be able to tell if I had
the early stages of dementia or not. To some degree I do similar things to my
mum. I forget to close windows before I go out. I lose my possession, I putnon edible things in the fridge & not
remember how they got there. I forget people’s
names or get them wrong even when I know them. But these things only happen
when I’m stressed, overloaded or don’t get enough sleep. To be honest my mum house
is always spotless. If a social worker assessed me on how untidy my house was as
to see if I was coping, I think I’d get more points for not coping than my mum
ever would.
I digress. My Mum who adamantly refused 2 years ago to even
look at a flat, viewed the flat. A synagogue volunteer took her down to look at
it, as it was within a timescale before it got offered to someone else and I
had urgent commitments at work, that I will explain later on. I went with Ian
this Thursday the only time that was mutually suitable for Ian, myself and my
Mums social worker to look at my Mum’s flat Which happened to be on my busiest day at work
when my Open Awards verification had to be completed.. My cousin had to sort
out if Mum could afford it or not in a very short timescale before he went on
holiday. I am very grateful to Ian and I can’t thank him enough and I have no
idea how I can return the favour. She now wants to move in straightaway and get
very cross with me when I tell her nothing has been signed yet and I can’t help
her until August, when I will only be working 2 days a week, so I will be less
stressed and can sort out her move.
Work
I have 2 jobs based at the Trafford Centre for Independent
Living in Sale. My first Job is with Future Visions a Self-Advocacy Charity for
people with learning disabilities. The second for Trafford CIL as a Travel
Training Project Co-ordinator where I train & support volunteers of varying
ability to travel train people with Learning Disabilities. My job role has
changed and I’m now the internal Verifier. Future Visions has put on courses accredited by Open Awards. I am very lucky
that Urszula is a very competent Tutor and assessor so verifying her courses
has been reasonably easy. But verifying involves cross referencing assessment
criteria which are numbered and cross referenced. It involves checking that
assessment criteria, learner feedback and achievement decisions have been
completed in individual files. There are 3 courses with 3-4 units and about 10
adult learners. I this all had to be finished in originally about 2 days before
the external assessor visited us.
Luckily my line manager suggested I do the travel training
report for my second job next week . I could concentrate on verification this
week which gave me an extra day. Due to a team effort Urszula, John and I got a
glowing report and we I can now verify internally without an external verifier.
Adult
Advisor
While all this was going on, Vee from a dyspraxic Adult
whom I met at the conference phoned me with a funding Idea so I have arranged
to see him next month. I am staying at my cousin Jonathan’s on the Thursday
night as the Trustees Away Day is on a Friday, near Heathrow Airport and would
take 4 ½ hours travelling there and back in one day. I have maximised my train
fare by arranging some appointments on the Thursday. I have a meeting with Michelle Lee the DFs Chairperson &
Eleanor Howes Chief Executive Officer, to discuss what my role involves as
Adult Advisor. After this I have made an appointment with Vee so he can explain
his funding idea.
When I came home from work on Friday a huge wad of Trustee
document were waiting for me to read so I looked at them on Saturday &
filled in the relevant forms. I have also received several emails from Trustees
and information passed on by Peter Keegan the previous Adult Advisor. I was not
going to reply properly until the weekend so I could process the information
when I’m less stressed, but a whole thread of a very important issue came up
that I needed to respond to as soon as it had been brought to my attention. So
Now you know why I have asked all Dyspraxic adults to bear with me until
August.
In order to recharge my batteries, I have chilled out this
weekend so I’m not too overloaded to start the travel training project report
on Monday.
I think when all things are considered I have coped really well with
such an eventful week. I have decided to treat myself for Rosh Ha Shana on October 1st (Jewish
New Year) by booking another week in Pefkos (back just in time for Dyspraxia
Awareness week on October 9th), before my paid working hours drop. All I need to do is save up
for holiday spending money.
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