From dozing in his chair to Friday-night Abba singalongs: How an Avenues team rebuilt Michael’s confidence post-Covid

Friday 22nd of November 2024

Michael had become confined to his flat following the pandemic. However, through Active Support, perseverance, and creativity, two years later his Avenues support team has got him out in the world again. 

 

As 80s music plays on the radio Michael gently bobs his head and dances with his fingers in time to the beat, pausing briefly to take a tambourine out of his drawer. A smile spreads across his face as he gives it a little shake  “I like this one” he says. 

Michael is getting ready for his Gateway club Friday night disco session where he meets others who share his love of a good tune. He takes his favourite CD out of the drawer – Abba’s Greatest Hits.  Rediscovering his love of a good Abba singalong on a Friday night is just one of the incredible accomplishments Michael has achieved in the last year, after the pandemic knocked the confidence out of him. 

The impact of Covid   

“He just didn’t want to get up,” says Fola Fakeye, Assistant Service Manager of the Avenues London Supported Living service where Michael has a flat. She has known Michael for around six years. “He didn’t even want to make himself a cup of tea,” she says. “He didn’t even want to go in the garden.”  

Fola reveals that prior to the pandemic, Michael would make breakfast for himself and be involved in various activities. However, due to many things being closed during the pandemic and general worry, he began to stay in his flat more. “After breakfast he would just want to doze in his chair, nothing interested him,” says Fola. “His mobility began to suffer as he began to complain about back pain.” Michael was given a walking frame. At one point doctors were so worried that his mobility was deteriorating, he was given a wheelchair.  

That wheelchair now sits in the corner of his flat, happily unused. Michael makes his way past it into the kitchen to help make his lunch. He takes the bread, butter and pickle out of the fridge. Cheese and pickle sandwiches, one of his favourites, are the order of the day.  

“His mobility is getting much better,” Fola says. Fola and the Avenues team have been working hard to help Michael regain his confidence and motivation. “We kept asking if he wanted to go out or to go to the Gateway Club.

He would say ‘no’ and we needed to respect that. However, we would remind him he has a car if he said his back was sore. We just did it little by little” says Fola. 

The team took advantage of hospital visits to show Michael what he was potentially missing. “After we went for hospital appointments we would go and drive past the Gateway Club and ask Michael if he was ready to go back. He would always say ‘not yet.’ Then this year in February he eventually said ‘yes’!” says Fola. 

Michael finishes his lunch, returns his plate to the kitchen and gives a contented sigh of satisfaction. He returns to his favourite chair by the window, where he watches buses go by, noting each number and destination. He picks up one of the many coloured pens surrounding him. His love of pens would has proved useful in persuading Michael to return to do his shopping.  

Fola reveals more, “He loves pens and biscuits. He always has a biscuit about 4pm and we would say ‘the biscuits are nearly finished, we need to go shopping for some more. Or we could get some new pens.”  

A Service Manager’s perseverance 

Service Manager, Adenike, remembers when she saw Michael before she began to manage the service “Everyone was having a barbecue and he was upstairs. He just wasn’t participating so I came upstairs to see him. I managed to get the DJ at the barbecue to play Abba and told Michael we needed him and his tambourine,” says Adenike. 

 When she started managing the service in April this year, Adenike was surprised to discover the team were doing Michael’s shopping for him. She was told, “It’s been like that since Covid.” Determined to get Michael back to doing his own shopping, she asked the team to buy Michael just one thing. Adenike tells more, “I said to Michael we are going to run out of food soon, we will have to do more shopping and he eventually said, ‘ok we’ll go next week.’ Michael decided he wanted to go on a Tuesday so we made that the day,” says Adenike.  

Adenike has now made it part of Michael’s routine. “We make sure someone does his shopping list with him on a Monday, ready to go shopping on Tuesday.”  Michael now happily goes shopping, choosing things himself, and helping unload it into the car.  

For Adenike Avenues training has really helped when it comes to managing Michael’s circumstances “It’s Active Support, little and often which goes a long way” she says “and the use of Graded Assistance, just giving assistance where he needs it.” says Adenike.  

New places to discover 

Michael is now getting out to more and more places. Most recently he went to Biggin Hill airport to watch the planes taking off. “He was very excited,” says Fola. 

Fola, who has known Michael for six years, couldn’t be happier. “It makes me so happy that he’s back to his normal self.” Michael’s personality is also shining through “he was laughing and joking with the doctor the other day, really cracking jokes. He has such a good sense of humour,” Fola says smiling. “He is also extremely kind and will always say thank you. When I took him out on his birthday, he looked me in the eye and said a deep ‘thank you.’ I could have cried,” she says. 

As well as being happier, of course Michael is also healthier. In addition to his increased mobility, according to the team, his seizures have also reduced.  

Adenike is thrilled to see Michael enjoying life again: “He just has a much better quality of life now. He has improved independence and motivation. Now he thinks he can do things,” says Adenike. 

To find out more about how Avenues supports people and how we use Active Support read more at https://www.avenuesgroup.org.uk/our-support/

If you are looking for support for someone you can find our more about our Support and Accommodation vacancies here.