We are so happy to partner with James, his family and the NDIS to support James in his new home.
Even though James is just 38 years old, he has spent the last 17 years living in an aged care facility. James was in a car accident at just 18 years old and now lives with an acquired brain injury. Last year, James and his family were told that the aged care facility James was living in was closing, and it was time to find James a new home.
Although it was a big upheaval, the change came at the right time for James. Living in Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is much more suitable for James at this point in his life.
Alisa, Support Coordinator with Life Without Barriers, has worked with James and his family since September 2023. She feels fortunate to have partnered closely with James and to have been a part of the journey to find James’ new home.
Image: James is outside on the grass, there are trees and a lake behind him.
“When I started working with James, he was living in an age care facility and he absolutely loved the place,” Alisa said.
“He loved the staff and just felt comfortable there. He received the best care; they treated him like a king.”
”When James’ family found out that the facility was closing down, they were very worried for James’s future. James called it his ‘Kingdom’, and it gave his family a sense of security too,” Alisa said.
Alisa worked in partnership with a transition team from the NDIS and James’ health care team, who assisted with finding a suitable property and supports for James.
“The NDIS transition team were absolutely amazing and were throwing all these options. Unfortunately, they just weren't really suitable for James, so we kept looking,” said Alisa.
James and his mom Carol told Alisa that they wanted a home for James that allowed him to have independence and gave her their wish list. On the list was James' own room, his own bathroom, and overnight staff to tend to James if required throughout the night.
In the meantime, Alisa had inspected a property and she thought, ‘Wow, this could be amazing for James’!
The home was in a fully accessible Supported Disability Accommodation property with 24-hour service. The property has a stand-alone unit which is off the front of the house. This unit has its own bathroom, bedroom and kitchen - all of which were on James’ wish list.
Alisa called James’ family straight away and said, 'You need to go and look at this property.' James’ family went in first to have a look at the property and they fell in love with it. They rated it a 10 out of 10.
The most important part was what James thought about it. James’ family organised for James to inspect the property, where James gave a big thumbs up.
Image: James is sitting in front of a black Mustang GT convertible with two gold stripes in the middle of its bonnet. He is giving a double thumbs up.
James has short-term memory loss due to his brain injury and visited the property a number of times to make sure that it was where he wanted to be. The choice of where to live was completely his.
“This could be my kingdom,” James said.
Alisa worked with the healthcare team at the hospital, the NDIS transitioning team, the Life Without Barriers’ Lifestyle team and James’ network of support to transition James into the new home.
James started by going there for a few hours at a time, and gradually building up to longer and longer visits. After 10 weeks, James moved in completely, and his new support staff were familiar with James’ needs.
“When he initially went into the aged care home, James was nonverbal, used a wheelchair 24/7 and needed special equipment for his day-to-day living. Over time, his aged care facility, occupational therapists, speech therapists and a behaviour support practitioner worked closely with James and his rehabilitation progressed in leaps and bounds.
“Today, James has regained some speech and mobility and much more independence,” Alisa shared.
“Life in the nursing home was very regimented, and now James can do things when he wants to and not when he’s told.”
“He has a shower when he wants to shower. His appetite has improved because he now has choice and control, and so he eats the food he wants to eat,” said Alisa.
“I love the feeling of being able to choose my own food,” said James.
Image: James is cooking at the stove. He is smiling at the camera and holding up tongs.
James attends hydrotherapy weekly, is supported to be out and about in the community four times a week and also attends a day program with like-minded people. He has made new friendships throughout his journey. James has bonded well with his new support staff, who he has access to whenever he needs them.
“This place is my castle… it’s my new Kingdom.” James said.
James’ family are very grateful for all the people who helped with James’ transition, including Alisa’s support. Bruce, James’ dad, is very happy with Alisa and the support his son receives.
“Alisa is caring, thoughtful, professional, very knowledgeable, understanding and works extremely hard,” Bruce shared.
“She made our son’s life a whole lot better and our life so much easier by having total trust in her attitude and abilities.”
Image: James wears a white paper hat and sits in front of a birthday cake with candles, his dad is standing behind him also wearing a white paper hat.
James and his mum Carol share their journey of finding the perfect home for James in this video produced by NDIA.
