It's never easy moving to a new neighbourhood and this is true of Andrew, who recently moved into a new bungalow in Greater Manchester, supported by MacIntyre.
A regular morning hot drink
It's important to Andrew to have structure to his morning and one of his routines is to go for a drive then to a drive-through for a coffee or hot chocolate.
However this isn't always possible at times we don't have a staff member on shift who can drive.
So staff put their heads together to find a way to make Andrew's mornings engaging regardless of whether there's a drive involved.
A creative alternative
His staff team take Andrew out in his wheelchair for a turn around the local streets, having a chat, visiting the local shop, and saying hello to the neighbours. Then when they get back home, they "drive" along the side passageway to the kitchen window as though it was a drive-through.
One of the team, Noheem, knocks on the window, and inside, his colleague Noemi puts on a "drive-through" voice so Andrew can place his order.
Andrew is handed his hot drink and cake through the kitchen window and, if it's a nice day, enjoys this morning feast in his garden.
Everyone is happy
This arrangement is absolutely brilliant for Andrew - he thinks it's hilarious to be treated like a drive-through customer in his own home and he really enjoys the fun of it all.
It's been great for staff too. They're proud of how they thought about what was important to Andrew, and used imagination to turn a logistical challenge into something creative and fun.
Staff said:
Sometimes when things happen out of everyone’s control we have to think on our feet, We use the resources we have at hand so we can still continue with Andrew's routine. We just love when it works we try new things and it makes Andrew smile.
It's creating a ripple effect locally too. One of Andrew's neighbours got to see the 'drive-through', was interested and came over to find out more. He's getting to know Andrew and enjoying the connection.
And Andrew's visits to the local shop have changed the way staff their view people who have a learning disability. They've realised we all want the same things - companionship, connection and, of course, fun!
