A day in the life of a housemate

When I first moved here, I couldn’t do most of these things & I had never slept on my own.  My carer stayed in the house until I felt comfortable sleeping on my own, with my housemates in the house.

It took me a while to learn to do some things for myself.  My carer helped me to learn to do things & now this is what my day looks like:

 

Morning

  • Alarm goes off – independently
  • I get up – independently
  • Have a shower – independently
  • Get dressed – if I need it, my support worker prompts me to change my clothes and dress appropriately for the weather
  • I have my breakfast – independently
  • I brush my teeth – support helps me set my timer so I brush my teeth for 2 minutes
  • I pack my bag ready for the day – with support
  • I check I have my phone, keys, money, bus pass and a coat – with support
  • I write on the board so people know where I am and when I am coming back – independently or with support if I need it
  • I lock up – independently
  • I walk to my day activities, from the bus stop. I used to have support but I can do it on my own now
  • I walk to daycare from the bus stop – independently. I used to have support but I can do it on my own now

Afternoon

  • I leave my day activities and walk to the bus stop – independently. I used to have support but I can do it on my own now
  • I catch the bus home – independently. I used to have support but I can do it on my own now
  • I walk home from the bus stop – independently. I used to have support but I can do it on my own now
  • I let myself in the house with my own keys and lock the door – independently. I used to have support but I can do it on my own now and I have learned about being safe in my own home.

 

Support to catch the bus

Evening

My support worker is at home when I get there and she helps me cook the dinner I planned last week.

Today I am making Chicken Korma, Rice & carrots & peas. I wash my hands thoroughly with special soap. I take out the chicken and get a frying pan and put some Olive Oil in the bottom and turn the ring on and the oven – my support worker helps me to make sure it is on the correct temperature.

I open the chicken and cut it into small pieces and then fry it until it is brown all over. I then put the chicken in a casserole dish. I peel and cut up the carrots and put these on top of the chicken. I peel and cut the onion and fry this with a bit more oil. I then put the onions on top of the chicken and add my Korma sauce, stir it all together and put it in the oven. I put the timer on for 30 minutes.

My support worker helps me with anything I get stuck on or anything I forget. I then put the kettle on to boil – my support worker helps me to make sure I don’t boil too much water. I measure the rice using a cup. I put the boiling water from the kettle into a saucepan, bring it to the boil and put the rice in and turn it down.

While the rice is cooking, I get the peas ready and lay the table. I make a jug of squash for everyone. When the rice is cooked I strain it, with support if I need it but I can mostly manage by myself now.

I used to be nervous about this and so my support worker used to strain it for me, until I felt confident to do it myself. I put boiling water on the peas & sweetcorn and bring these to the boil and then strain both.

 

I take the chicken out of the oven – I get the support worker to do this as the heat from the oven and the dish makes me a bit anxious. I then dish up the rice, curry and peas and call everyone down for dinner.

At dinner we all have a laugh and a chat about what we did that day and talk about any plans we have for later.

After dinner everyone puts their plates and glasses in the dishwasher and I clear away all the cooking things and wipe the tables and worktops. Most things go in the dishwasher, but sometimes I have to wash some things up by hand like wooden spoons.

The support worker helps me check what we are cooking tomorrow and we get anything out of the freezer, ready for the next day if we need to.

I can then go and relax, unless I have to do my laundry that day. If it is laundry day my support worker helps me sort out my laundry into lights and darks and I then put it in the washing machine with the washing powder and fabric conditioner and turn it on independently. My support worker just checks that it’s on the right setting.
We will hang my washing out in the morning and my support worker helps me with this as I find it hard to peg my laundry on the line.

Sometimes I go out in the evenings for activities like Trampoline, Pool tournaments or sometimes I like to go to my room and go on my laptop or watch Eastenders or Football. Sometimes I watch a film with my housemates and we’ll get some popcorn and drinks in and sometimes we play board games.

 

Bedtime

I get support at bedtime and my support worker reminds me to brush my teeth, have a wash and take my tablets. Support also reminds me to set my alarm, charge my phone and put any dirty clothes in the wash. I go to bed independently and sometimes read in bed for a while.

Night

We all sleep in our home independently. Our support worker lives next door and is always there if we need support. We have a phone that we can call them on and they come straight round if we need them. Sometimes support will stay in the house if we are ill or if someone new comes to live with us and they need to settle in.