Background

Pre: coronavirus, Michael struggled with any sort of change to his routine. He has a structure to what items he buys each week, what clothes he wears, what he eats each day and what activities he will do on specific days. For example, in April, Michael celebrates his birthday by visiting Deep Sea World; in July he looks forward to a yearly visit to a safari park and each August, a trip to Ayr beach.

Over the last few years, the team at the National Autistic Society has made a great effort to support Michael to prepare for changes that do need to take place. For example, the team spent six months of careful planning in order to decorate Michael’s bedroom. The whole process was planned down to the minutest detail and the team around Michael remained consistent throughout to ensure it all went smoothly.

How we supported him

During the summer lockdown for covid-19, it was an extremely stressful and difficult time for Michael. The changes and the uncertainty of the situation meant that the team has had to change some routines and explain why to Michael. Each week, members of the team supported Michael to go to Glasgow, to show him that the shops were still shut and that the lockdown is continuing.

The team around Michael, has managed the situation exceptionally well. They have continued to maintain his routine and access the community where possible. On a daily basis, the team came together to discuss how to best support Michael and overcome each fresh and unique challenge that presented itself. Staff have been proactive and creative in their problem solving.

As part of his routine, Michael goes to Morrison’s every Sunday to complete his weekly shopping with list of specific items that he expects to buy. During the initial panic caused by the lockdown it quickly became apparent that not all of the items would be available. As a solution, staff independently contacted the manager of the store to explain the situation. They asked if each week the store could put all of the items Michael purchases away for him, so he is guaranteed to complete his shopping.

During this period one member of staff followed behind Michael during his weekly shop with the pre-prepared trolley. If Michael is then unable to get an item from the shelf they would take it out of their trolley to give to him.

Outcome

This is one example from the many times the team has problem solved to keep Michael’s stress levels to a minimum. The changes brought on by the pandemic have been difficult for Michael to cope with. By making adjustments and being proactive to ensure that Michael has a successful shopping trip, our team has considerably lowered his levels of anxiety. As the situation continues to change, staff are continuing their support and helping Michael to make manageable adaptations to daily life.