A resident that came to Cromwell House in October 2021 has been a true success story for Camino! They came from a general hospital where they had been residing for over 12 weeks due to their leg being fractured in two places. These fractures had not been detected for months and when they were finally discovered, the resident had been bedbound for nearly a year! Their weight had crept up over this time to 180 kgs.
The diagnosis for this resident was autism, learning disability and also hearing voices. The resident’s father had been bribing them with unhealthy food in order to encourage them to engage. This contributed to their weight gain and caused frequent bouts of gastroenteritis and vomiting.
The resident required 4 members of staff to support them with their personal care following bowel movements. Their behaviour was very challenging, throwing faecal matter at staff, spitting, hitting out and kicking. Over time the resident built up a strong rapport with the support staff and their behaviour began to settle. The staff worked hard with the father to reinforce the resident’s care plans and to put an end to their unhealthy eating habits. Managing the father was also a challenge for the support staff but they persevered. The resident lost a lot of weight having been encouraged by the staff and their father and their current weight is 145 kgs. They began to mobilise more using a walking aid and holding on to the support staff. The resident is now able to shower regularly and only requires one member of staff to assist with their personal care now.
The resident has progressed so much from the time that they were admitted to Cromwell House thanks to the hard work of the team at Camino and they are currently waiting for a placement in order to carry on with their pathway to recovery.
