MHAW | Oldham Social Prescribing | J's Story

J lives independently in a housing 21 property but was heavily supported by his mum. He has recently received an ASD diagnosis and his father had passed away in the month prior to working with Social Prescribing, so there had been some considerable events contributing to his circumstances. J was extremely socially isolated due to anxiety and struggled to leave his home, eat and had been known to have aggressive outbursts when overwhelmed. The only social interaction he had was with his family when they visited him and occasionally took him out. His mother is extremely supportive but had been looking for some extra support to improve his mental health, independence and social isolation.  Due to his mental health issues, he struggles communicating over the phone and when feeling anxious struggles to communicate verbally.

Adam, our Social Prescribing Worker, first met with J together with his mother, and had a long conversation about his life story, current circumstances and discussed what his main goals were. It was evident that he was extremely anxious at first but after explaining the aim and process of Social Prescribing, J felt a little relieved.

Meeting face-to-face with J was the best way of communicating with him, and giving him the time to express his thoughts verbally was crucial as he does struggle turning his thoughts into words in situations where he feels anxious. 

Adam had recommended to J and his mum that they would take things slowly and start by attending a social group together at first. They decided that the Mahdlo Meet and Mingle group was a great starting point. J’s mum brought him to the group where Adam met with him and spent the day introducing him to the group’s volunteers and existing attendees. J immediately made a great bond with one of the volunteers Adam had intended him to meet named Sandy, who has a great understanding of ASD due to some of her children being diagnosed. J partook in various activities such as colouring, board games and a quiz but particularly enjoyed the social interaction with the group. Throughout the first time attending, J showed his confidence slowing building through his mannerisms and communication and he enjoyed being included in conversations and activities that were going on.

On the second week of attending Mahdlo’s Meet and Mingle group, J was able to settle himself into the group and integrate with the attendees straight away without as much support. He had also independently travelled via tram to this group which was a huge step for him which his mum had been really excited about. This is a massive step towards J getting out more and socialising on his own accord. J told Adam that he didn’t want to make his mum take him each week as he knows that eventually he will need to attend on his own if she is unavailable. His confidence had massively improved for this week’s session with volunteers and other attendees also recognising this. 

Following this group, Adam and J had a really positive conversation where he expressed that even though he enjoys being at home, he prefers being around other people and getting out. He said keeping his mind active has also helped him cope with the recent passing of his father.

On the third week, J was able to attend this group completely independently without input from Adam or his mother and continues to do so since. Adam has met with J and his mother recently who said that he has made massive improvements such as going out shopping and picking his own items, buying new clothes, getting his hair cut and even going out to a nightclub. 

When J was younger, it was part of his routine to attend this particular nightclub with his friend and it was explained to Adam  that now J’s confidence has built up, he feels like he can adopt this routine again which is a really positive outcome in terms of building up his confidence. Since then, J has swapped this for a disco night at a learning disability and autism social group called AMBITIONS which he now attends each week. He has made some great connections with a few other attendees and is now looking at joining some of their trips such as a weekend in York and is building up to hopefully go on a holiday abroad if this is offered. J feels more comfortable doing this with a group of people he can relate to and is excited at the opportunities this may bring.

J has also completed an OCL gym induction period where he attended the gym a few times. He is currently looking at renewing this.

Lastly, J  also attends a breakfast club on a Friday, utilising the NEON hub breakfast mornings where his late father used to attend and therefore is able to speak to the volunteers at the hub about his father. He now attends this every other week. This allows him time to still feel connected to his father and also allows some more socialisation with a different group of people in a different friendly space.

J has made huge improvements in his confidence, mental health and social isolation. He now has a regular routine which he has become familiar with and really enjoys. He also has some other options which have discussed that he can attend when he wants to such as the gym and the breakfast club. 

Going from nearly house bound to a weekly routine of attending several community groups which he has rated highly is a drastic improvement. Previously, he was too anxious to take part in daily tasks such as shopping, showering or getting a haircut, however implementing this socialisation and increasing his confidence has now allowed him to do these tasks. Adam has received really positive feedback from each of the groups J attends to say how he engages consistently and has made vast improvements in his confidence and communication.