“I want to live life independently”
From a young age, Graham has always been into motorbikes, however his life changed dramatically on the way back home from a holiday when he was involved in a traffic accident. Graham suffered a spinal cord injury and his world was turned upside down. After rehabilitation at Stoke Mandeville spinal injury centre, he was ready to return home.
However Graham had complex needs and required high levels of personal care and rehabilitation. The accident changed Graham’s perspective – he didn’t want to rely heavily on his family for 24/7 care and support – he was only 33 and wanted to continue to live his life independently at home.
A health care professional advised they use a live in care agency who can support a wide range of complex care needs. We came highly recommended as we try hard to make sure individuals can remain living in the comfort of their own home with their own choosen carer.
After the initial care conversation with our care partnership team, Graham was adamant he wanted a male carer and someone who shared his passion for motorbikes. After looking at a few carer profiles, Graham chose Martin, who not only had spinal injury care experience but also shared his love of motorbikes. 12 months later, Martin has helped to make a massive difference to Graham’s life and together they even managed to source a wheelchair driven trike for Graham and are now regularly seen out together in their local community.
