Successful first year for Lawford Lodge

Lawford Lodge, Diverse Abilities’ newest respite home in Poole, has enjoyed a successful first year in operation providing respite care to young adults.

The two-bedroom bungalow opened in summer 2019 for 18 to 25-year olds with profound disabilities and complex medical needs. It is named after Marion Lawford, mother to Sue who has been supported by Diverse Abilities for more than 50 years.

Full support can be provided for all care needs, and all staff are trained and experienced in a variety of care techniques. Care is provided over 37 weeks of the year for young adults. Seven families have been supported through providing 157 overnight stays in its first year since opening.

Claire Stacey, Lawford Lodge manager, commented: “Being able to offer this additional level of support for the young adults accessing our services has been fantastic – it truly helps to give them further levels of independence, as well as helping their parents take a break from their day to day care duties.”

Day to day life at Lawford Lodge aims to be as familiar to home life as possible for the young adults it supports. This includes activities such as cooking, cleaning, exploring the outdoors, and shopping, as well as movie nights, gaming sessions, and more.

The home is part of the disability charity’s Transitions service, which takes both parents and young adults through the process of transferring from child to adult social care. Young adults with complex medical needs can come for breaks, which can vary in length dependent on assessed need, and Diverse Abilities works with the young person and their parent or carer to support transition fully to an adult service before they are 25.

Visit diverseabilities.org.uk/transitions-lawford-lodge for further details about the services.