Scott is a 47-year-old male who was admitted to Murdostoun Neurological Care Centre for long term care.
Back in 2010, Scott sustained a head injury during an assault. This impacted his short-term memory relating to dates, times and people. He also has a history of drug and alcohol misuse.
When Scott first arrived at Murdostoun Neurological Care Centre, he was placed into one of the self-contained apartments for a period however, it was soon apparent that Scott’s needs would be better met in one of the bedrooms in the unit. This is where he started to make real progress.
Due to his brain injury Scott can find social situations very challenging and this unfortunately had led in the past to a breakdown of some of the relationships in his life and people ‘losing faith’ in him. He had previously tried various community access programmes with limited success. All of this left him feeling “stuck in his life” with no clear options. The team at Murdostoun worked with him and continue to work with him to build his trust and show him that in the right environment with the right support, he can progress. Staff encourage him to get involved in the activities that bring him joy and have successfully managed to get Scott a place in the Social Inclusion Project. The Project is dedicated to creating an open, diverse and inclusive society where people have opportunities for participation.
Having always wanted to work in the food industry, Scott was delighted when he finally landed the opportunity to do so in October 2022. One morning a week Scott now works in a local coffee shop with his duties including serving customers and food preparation.
“Since I started working at the Social Inclusion Project, I finally feel like I have some purpose. I really have found my passion working in the food industry.”
Scott has thrived since working at the coffee shop with his new found independence and has taken to his responsibilities there with ease. He has built some really good friendships with his colleagues, particularly as some of them have had similar experiences, and can relate to Scott in a lot of ways. Scott even enjoyed Christmas Lunch with his team – something he wouldn’t have managed previously, he has absolutely flourished.
Six months ago, Scott could never have imagined he’d be where he is now. He has gone from feeling stuck in his life, to truly living.
