Complex Health Care: Meet Luke
We support Luke within our Specialist Support Teams for complex Healthcare needs in Lancashire.
Luke is 20 years of age and has a diagnosis of Wolf Hirschhorn Syndrome. Luke has a severe learning disability, no verbal communication, physical disabilities and underdeveloped physical growth.
Hours: Luke is supported 7am to 6pm five days per week and receives four hours support on a Saturday +20 hours 2:1 per week for personal care
Support Needs: Luke requires full support in relation to moving and handling, walking, showering and hoisting. Luke uses a walking frame to promote muscle tone and postural development on a twice daily basis. Luke is also doubly incontinent. He has a specific diet designed in partnership with his Speech and Language Therapist in response to his needs around oral preparation, with staff trained in Safe Swallowing and Dysphagia. Luke has a soft bite and requires a specific routine around food texture, volume and the speed at which he is fed. He does also have some behavioural needs in relation to nutrition and needs a persistence of approach from a staff member whom he trusts.
Communication: Luke has no verbal communication but uses a small number of sounds, such as clucking and clicking, and gestures, such as shaking his hands when excited, which staff use to facilitate intensive interaction. Luke is also very adept at letting people know when he isn’t happy, and uses his own unique form of communication to let people know when he needs space.
Activities: Luke is an outgoing and sociable young man who takes part in a number of individualised and group-based activities on a weekly basis. Luke responds particularly well to music and attends a music group in the community weekly, he also loves animals, sensory sessions, trampolining and attending story sessions at his local library. Luke also loves swings and the motion that this provides.
What works for Luke: Luke loves being in busy environments and the stimulation that this brings however requires his one to one staffing to facilitate his withdrawal to a quieter environment should he need it or maintain engagement as Luke is easily distracted.
Outcomes: In the initial stages of Luke’s service, his key worker began to notice that his foot was rotating inwards – this was flagged up to the relevant managerial and healthcare professionals and the use of Ankle Foot Orthodontics was prescribed to correct this.
Luke now wears his AFOs for a set amount of time per day; this has helped him to redistribute his weight more evenly and gain a stronger upright stance. Luke now propels his walking frame independently, which he wasn’t able to do previously. His increasing strength has had a positive impact on his posture and the realignment of his spine and he now stands taller. This also has a knock-on effect in terms of his circulation, management of pressure sores, his heart rate and his digestion; he is also more confident and has a greater scope for visual mobility.
When Luke first began attending trampolining sessions, he would lie on the trampoline and his physiotherapist would make a gentle bouncing motion. Now six months on, Luke is able to stand and grip the bar held by his key worker and his feet will come off the ground ever so slightly; he trusts his staff and will try new things.
