Peter

My key worker was just amazing he called this creative engagement – I called it empowering.

I need you to understand how my life was before I moved into Just services. I had a job, I had my 50th birthday, I had a family, I had a home….

I lost my job, I lost my family - they didn’t understand me and I could pay for my house – so I lost that… it felt like my life changed over night but really, I had felt like this for many many years, and I hid it.

I was taken to Just – a high support accommodation with 24 hours staff, who were human and who were visible/their/present through the day and night.

My mood was incredibly low and ending my life was the only thing I could think about (looking back, it felt like a very out of body experience - this didn’t feel like me but looking in the mirror this was absolutely me…).

I had 24 hour staff around me all the time asking me how I was and what I enjoyed. They asked me simple questions like my goals, happy memories and what a good place for me looked like.

I picked my keyworker as we both supported the same football team which was a conversation I never got bored with – they even encouraged me to wash up and clean my flat while discussing a match together… I didn’t realise how clean my flat looked as this process was really relaxing and didn’t feel like a chore. My key worker was just amazing he called this creative engagement – I called it empowering.

This was the first time I had people around me that cared – and asked the right questions so I could feel the trust and open up…

Within weeks of moving to Just -supported living I was encouraged to make a phone call to my GP (my keyworker was with me as I didn’t know what to say)

A few days later we went to the GP and requested anti-depressants, along with talking therapy.

At home the staff would encourage me in simple ways - Depression made me not want to get out of bed, depression made me order take away so I could eat and hide, depression made me have brain fog, depression felt like a black cloud over me all the time. I needed to try antidepressants as I needed to start having the energy to live, shower, cook, clean and feel human.

I've decided life is for living so I gave the antidepressants a go.

1 year later I’m owning my depression (thanks to my support worker and team)

I'm kinder to myself and realise that I'm gonna have good and bad days but on the bad days I won't mentally beat myself up I'll just aim for a better day tomorrow.

Ive started caring about me again. The hardest part of any journey is the first step…All from the help of my support staff and maybe that my football team were top of the table.

I took ownership. I'm not on my 1st step anymore I'm a good few step into my journey and I'm so proud of myself for making this about me.

Just saying – my keyworker and team at Just made me feel like myself again.

(names have been changed as this SU would like to stay anonymous)

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