Supported Living
As a person learns new skills, he or she may require less support. However, at times factors such as deteriorating health, ageing, or an increased need for medication or behavioural support might require that support to be increased.
Our Supported Living service is guided by the following principles:
- Inclusion: Supported living builds links and opportunities which may increase levels of inclusiveness of disabled people in the community while making informed choices and decisions.
- Individualised and flexible support: Supports must focus exclusively on the individual within and across any chosen community environment with services / supports changing as individual needs or choices change.
- Human relationships: People’s family/whanau, friends, other important people in their lives and their community are central in designing services and supports with the person. An emphasis should be placed on identifying, developing and supporting these natural supports.
- Choice and control: Individuals should be able to exercise choice over where and with whom they live, take a central role on deciding on what they do, types of services, supports and activities they partake in.
- Ownership: The individual’s home should belong to them, their family/whanau or to a landlord to whom rent is paid. Supported Living does not include living arrangements owned or leased by the Supported Living vendor.
- Life building: The focus of support is long term and services need to be committed to the ongoing pursuit of autonomy and life long personal fulfilment for the person.
- Universal eligibility: Supported Living is an option for all people if this is their preferred support arrangement. People should not be excluded from Supported Living as an option on the basis of the nature or perceived severity of their disability or impairment or their perceived “readiness” to undertake daily tasks.
The purpose of the Supported Living service:
Supported Living is an outcome focussed service to enable a person to become more independent in everyday life, with an aim to increase an individual’s ability to live independently in the community in a safe and responsible manner, with the supports decreasing as the person learns new skills, gains confidence and relies less on formal support and more on their own abilities.
Supported Living is beneficial for individual with a disability who:
- Wants to be as independent as possible as (or more independent than they are now) but either doesn’t know how to start or has struggled to make any progress on their own. For e.g. finding a house, organising tenancy agreements etc.
- Is having difficulty exercising their independence and skills because of judgements or worries from others as to the person’s capacity and safety.
- Is an adult living with their parents, or in supported accommodation, and wants to live more independently.
- Lives alone with few outside interests or friends.
Renaissance Supported Living service can assist clients with:
- Natural Supports
• Identification of their ‘circle of support/natural supports.’ - Identification of their ‘circle of support/natural supports.’
• Applying independent living skills for example, shopping, making arrangements etc.
• Managing finances with links into budget advisory services.
• Using public transport, own vehicle or arrangements with car pooling/sharing.
• Using technology (cell phones, computer skills). - Transition Arrangements
• Transition from their family home to independent living over a maximum time frame of six months.
• Transition from residential care to community living over a maximum timeframe of six months. - Personal Well-being
• Establishing daily routines.
• Establishing healthy eating and exercise.
• Increasing independence with personal grooming and well-being.
• Increasing independence with domestic activities (meal preparation, household cleaning, gardening, maintenance).
• Developing more meaningful interpersonal relationships with significant others (personal/relationship counselling, support group).
• Re-establishing cultural and spiritual linkages.
• Maximising personal security independence by identifying potential safety concerns and working with the individual to minimise these. - Community Participation
• Increasing or re-establishing interests in the home and community.
• Establishing new personal interests (gardening, sport, voluntary position, community group, night class, public library) in the home and community.
• Exploring pre-vocational activities such as going to employment agency to investigate potential jobs, volunteering, dress for success advisory service.
