When WALK met Anne first she was depressed from having lived in long stay institutional care for far too long. She had previously lived an independent life and experienced the confines of a psychiatric ward as repressive.
We met with Anne and talked about what was important in her life and carefully planned how we might support her to build and develop on her dreams. Using a low arousal approach WALK successfully supported Anne through the process of deinstitutionalisation. She now lives with two other people in the community next to where she grew up. She has a part time job and most importantly she has reestablished links with her family and friends.
Anne is first to admit that she is happier now and that the challenges that were in her life before are now more manageable with the right support. Here is how she describes it...
“I asked to make the move for various reasons including being close to my family and also to be close to areas that I know well and that provide me with comfort. The move to Inchicore has worked out very well for me. I am living in a house that is near to everything that I wanted. I have access to great transport so that I can travel to places I want to visit with much ease. This allows me to have independence to come and go as I please. The place that I live in is truly home to me.”
