An open letter to the Mambourin community

Our daughter Jodie has recently moved into a Disability Shared Accommodation house in Sydenham.

This was something we faced with a great deal of trepidation as Jodie does not like changes to her routine and can be very stubborn if something does not suit her or go her way. She was also very reluctant to go to a respite house for a few days every quarter and we had to employ a few devious tactics to get her there.

We had anticipated quite a few challenges when we accepted the offer of permanent care for Jodie but as we were finding it increasingly harder to care for her, we knew this would be in her best interests.

As the house was in the process of being built we had a few months to prepare. Whilst we tried to explain and talk to Jodie about the move, she just changed the subject so it was hard to tell how much of this she comprehended. After meetings with Bianca who was acting as Case Manager for Jodie, Mambourin Manager David Kennedy and staff members from Mambourin and ourselves about how to tackle this, it was suggested Social Stories may be the way to go.

That was when the Communication Coordinator Janette started working on this with Jodie. This was an immediate hit as Jodie took a great deal of pride in showing off her pictures to everyone. From then on she really embraced the idea of being an adult and moving away as her siblings had done. We were able to visit and watch the house in the various stages of construction. Mambourin staff also took Jodie and a small group to view Jodie’s new house as she was now referring to it.

She started packing weeks before the move and emptied out drawers and sorted out clothes and possessions she was taking. Our earlier trepidation was replaced by Jodie’s excitement and everyone who came to our house was shown her book of social stories.

Jodie moved into her new house two weeks ago and so far the transition has surpassed our hopes. The support staff at the house have remarked how well Jodie has adjusted to this big change in her life. Bianca has also visited Jodie since she moved and phoned us to say how happy Jodie seemed to be. She had had a few misgivings about how Jodie would handle everything and so was delighted with the outcome.

We believe all this has come about because of the fantastic and painstaking work of the Communication Coordinator Janette with the backup of David and all the Mambourin staff who have been reinforcing the social stories. The social stories have been a great way to make Jodie’s transition so much easier. We are indebted to everyone for their help especially Janette.

We hope other parents will have the same opportunity as we have had. Jodie’s parents

26 August 2011