“It’s not all about the Care, it’s about our Family”
Jason is a young disabled man who lives with his parents.  They were a very active family and used to enjoy holidays overseas with other members of their family.  As Jason grew older and taller and heavier, the family gave up on holidays and days out as it became very difficult for them to mobilise him away from the home.  They always felt guilty about Jason having to go to respite whilst they had a holiday, they didn’t like where Jason was having to go.

What did we do to help?
When the Care and Support Advisor first met the family they asked them what their dream outcomes would be from receiving a personal health budget and support from Disability Positive.  They spoke of Jason’s care needs and the support he needed in everyday life.  The advisor asked again what the ‘families’ dreams would be.  Their answer was to get back to family holidays and days out.  The barriers facing this family were that Jason’s chair was very heavy to mobilise if there were any inclines, the family used to holiday in Florida, but the thoughts of doing this ever again had never entered their thoughts.  The adviser requested that they contact the wheelchair service and request a power pack for the chair.
The wheelchair assessment centre did not supply these but did write a letter of support stating the type required for Jason’s chair.  The advisor completed a variation form that enabled the family to purchase the power pack via the PHB (Personal Health Budget).  The advisor researched into information about holidaying in Florida and disabled person rights to fly.  All information was given to the family and after several trips to Manchester Airport and trials on transfers in and out of the planes, the family booked a holiday in Florida for all the family including a fully accessible Villa, a WAV and all equipment hired to be delivered.  Hours were added to the package to allow them the support they need while they were away.

“Transferring from social care funding to a Personal Health budget was initially quite daunting. Everyone assumed we knew how it all worked.  It’s taken a while to get the hang of things but with the support of Disability Positive, it’s now working really well.  Our son’s support worker at Disability Positive responds promptly to any queries or concerns and clearly has a wealth of knowledge and experience in this area.  Her support and advice around our Sons PHB has given us the confidence and flexibility to pursue new opportunities and experiences with him.  Things that we previously thought we would never do.”