Ellie is one of the hundreds of disabled people whose lives have been enhanced by a new state of the art sensory suite, which was generously funded by The Ian Karten Charitable Trust.
The gift of £24,582 for Percy Hedley’s adult day services in Forest Hall has been used to create a sensory suite with a range of specialist equipment which will improve the lives of the many disabled people across the North East.
Ellie has a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy, she is quadriplegic in all limbs, has visual impairment, severe learning development delay, epilepsy and is not able to communicate verbally.
The care team at Percy Hedley have an interactive session in the sensory suite with Ellie every week. These sessions are calm and soothing incorporating music, visuals, lighting, massage and tactile touch, creating a perfect environment for increasing bonding and reducing sensitivity to touch.
Over time, as a result of the sensory therapy, the stress which Ellie has experienced in daily life, where touch is needed, has reduced. This has impacted on her overall stress levels, her happiness and her ability to become socially involved with her family, friends and peers. These sessions have drastically improved Ellie’s life and have opened up opportunities to her which she would have been otherwise unable to engage in.
Every day the staff team at Percy Hedley see first-hand the benefits that this new environment is having for the disabled people who we care for. Some of the changes that the disabled people who use the sensory suite have experienced includes reductions in stress, improved bonding, sensory development, behavioural changes, reduced sensitivity to touch, improvements in communication and better emotional well-being.
Patrick Smith, Support Worker, described the suite as “ a great area for our service users to calm and relax themselves, where a frown can quickly into a smile. Service users who are tired and showing challenging behaviours find the sensory beds a good place to relax. We see improvements in behaviours daily.”
Carole Harder, CEO of Percy Hedley says “The support which The Ian Karten Charitable Trust has given us over recent years has positively impacted on thousands of disabled people’s lives across the North East and continues to do so. We are thrilled that we are able to provide this new facility especially as this will make a such a difference to everyone who uses it. We are extremely grateful for your continued support and commitment.
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- This article was written by the Hedley’s College Karten Centre
- Featured in the Karten January 2021 Newsletter
- This article is listed in the following subject areas: Centre News