Managing your health and wellbeing

Introduction

This chapter is about identifying the areas where you need assistance in relation to your health and wellbeing, and finding the best way to get that assistance in your new living situation.

A big part of maximising your independence is being able to take responsibility for your body and your health. While there may always be things that you receive help with, your ability to make your own choices, notice what is happening and ask for help when you need it can be central to keeping yourself safe and well.

This level of independence varies greatly from person to person. For some people, their reliance is on prompts and skill building, while others will always require physical assistance to complete tasks. Removing your reliance on others isn’t necessarily the goal, but rather building your choice and control in how you reliably receive these supports.

What help do you currently have?

A good first step is thinking about what support you currently receive on a daily, weekly, monthly, or occasional basis. Think about whether it is just a prompt, hands-on support, or something in between, so you can plan your strategy for the level of independence and control you want.

How will a change impact the status quo?

A change in living situation can often lead to a change in how independent people can be with certain tasks. Some people find it easier to step up to new challenges in a different living situation, so they seem to suddenly gain new skills after the move. Others might struggle to generalise the skills that they had and therefore need more help in their new home. Being aware of that possibility can help you notice how things change and adjust your plan to fit.

Planning for the everyday and the unexpected

Some parts of looking after your body are proactive and done on a regular basis, such as showering, taking medication and having haircuts. Some things are reactive and only done when something happens, such as when you get sick.

To stay healthy when you live more independently, it is important to have a plan for both regular care and what to do when something goes wrong or changes.

Planning for sudden change

If you have a health factor that has been known to lead to sudden changes in your wellness – either physically or mentally – specific planning may be needed to enable you to make this move confidently.

There are many people who live independently with fluctuating health conditions such as epilepsy, chronic fatigue or anxiety. The solution for one person is rarely the same as it is for others. Creating a plan that is specific to your situation is important to be able to move forward with confidence.

Planning for the ‘lightest touch’

It might be helpful to consider the idea of ‘lightest touch’ in how you choose to manage your health and wellbeing. 'Lightest touch’ is a concept discussed in the introduction section and is about finding the right balance when it comes to your support.

Planning for the lightest touch is about putting enough support in place that you are not being left at risk or with too little support for the things you want or need to do, while also ensuring you retain autonomy over the things that are important to you, and your choices.

Building skills before you move

If there is an area where you know you need to build some skills, it is good to start as early as possible. You can learn small steps that will help you to be more independent or to notice when you need help. Creating routines, structures, visuals and checklists can be a way to remove the reliance on prompting from another person and to build your own skills.

For some people there needs to be a period of direct teaching, especially if they don’t notice health problems easily. Building skills for your transition (Stage 2, Chapter 7) discusses planning for this.

If you haven’t handled your own medicine before, you will need a strategy to manage it in your new home. If you struggle with remembering to take your medication, review Exploring technology for your independence (Stage 2, Chapter 8) for ideas on tools that might be available to help you.

Managing the risks

It is important to think about some of the risks around this change in living situation and what it can mean for your physical and mental health. Make a plan for risks that you might have to face. Reviewing Managing risks (Stage 2, Chapter 6) will be helpful to ensure you have developed the plans you need.

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Where to start

Build a plan for your personal supports

Any plan for receiving personal supports needs to be designed around your specific requirements and situation. The scenarios below give a few examples of how different needs can be supported through a change in living situations.

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Next steps

Read through the example scenarios below

Use the worksheet below to decide what a move could mean for your personal supports

Scenarios

Juan

Juan has epilepsy that is well-managed with medication but occasionally he has an unexpected seizure. When he lived at home, he always had a family member nearby to monitor the seizures. Before he moved into his student accommodation, he explored the latest technology options and purchased a smart watch with motion sensors for seizure detection. His roommates are aware of the best ways to support Juan if he has a seizure when he is at home. If Juan needs support when he on the campus or in town, he has a medic alert bracelet that members of the public can access to call for assistance.

Emma

Emma is independent with her morning routine some of the time, but gets stuck on a few key parts. She finds she forgets the details of her shower routine after a while and will miss some important steps. Emma works with her paid support team to make a visual checklist for the bathroom. This covers the steps that she needs to follow and helps her stay on track for longer. Her support worker has weekly chats with her about her hygiene routine and the detailed steps she sometimes misses. Emma likes these chats because they are positive and celebrate her success before things start to go too far off track.

Fred

Fred has always struggled to notice when there are changes in his body. Historically he has not let anyone know when he has had rashes, in-grown toenails or a fever. Because he has always lived with his parents, someone has been able to notice these things. Now that Fred is moving into a flat, he wants to take personal responsibility for these things as best he can. Fred and his parents set up a weekly Head to Toe body checklist for Fred, where he can work through each part of his body and check for anything that has changed. Fred ticks it off in an app that he shares with his mum, so she can see what boxes he ticks. Fred chose to tell his paid support staff and flatmates that this is something he struggles with, so they will all keep an eye out if Fred seems unwell.