“Active Care Group support two nights a week to enable his family to have a rest at night in the knowledge that he is safe.”
Active Care Group started working with Asher* in 2019, when he was 6 years old. Asher was born with a medical condition which causes developmental delay and generalise low muscle tone, also known as hypotonia.
As a result, Asher does not weight bare and is dependent on others for his safe manoeuvres. He uses a wheelchair to get around but does enjoy sitting on the floor safely with others around him.
Additionally, Asher is prone to severe reflux when eating or drinking, which as a result means he needs to take all of his nutrition and hydration via a special feeding device into his stomach called a gastrojejunostomy tube. This has allowed Asher to thrive, reducing the risk of aspirating feed and water into his lungs.
Asher is a friendly, playful boy who loves to be cheeky and being involved with his family and friends. He likes playing on his iPad, listening to music, playing with musical toys and watching musical videos on the television. He also like being sung to and especially likes everyone to communicate with him and involve him in what is going on.
Asher lives at home with his mum and dad, two sisters and Ralphie the family dog. He enjoys being with family and friends and often sees his grandmother and auntie who also help with his care support. Asher goes to school locally on a minibus which collects him each morning and brings him home. He enjoys seeing his friends at school.
Active Care Group’s care in the home division support Asher and his family for two nights a week, enabling his family to have a rest at night in the knowledge that he is being overseen by clinically skilled Support Workers and is safe. The direction of his care is overseen by a wider team of Clinical Specialists.
His carers have had specific clinical training so that they can monitor Asher and provide clinical interventions overnight as he requires to keep him safe. Another priority for the team is to keep Asher comfortable; the continuity of care and familiarisation allows him to sleep well and be ready to go to school, which is his biggest goal. They support his clinical needs by overseeing his feeds in the night which run via a pump into his feeding device. They monitor any changes such as seizure or coughing episodes which may result in a risk of something entering his lungs.
The team’s support allows Asher’s family to get regular good rest, in order to feel their best to care for Asher during the remainder of the week.
*Name has been changed to protect identity.
