50 Voices
TOM 50 Voices captures the authentic voice of the people that use our services and our staff as Turning Point celebrates its 50th anniversary
50 Voices
Tom Drake
50 Voices
Tom Drake
Tom Drake has been supported by the staff at Houghtons in Bedford since February 2009. Houghtons is a residential Turning Point service providing support and care for individuals with learning disabilities.
My name is Tom Drake and I am a voluntary ‘Champion Park Ranger’. Every fortnight I meet the Ranger Team at Priory Park, Bedford and assist them in keeping the park clean, tidy and safe for the local wildlife. My role will involve collecting litter, hedge trimming, monitoring wildlife and reporting any concerns during my walk around the park. We get to meet lots of new people and some wonderful dogs that come up to greet us. It is a job that I can do most of the year and it will change with the different seasons. This is a picture of myself in the park one sunny afternoon. I am using my ‘litter picker’ to collect rubbish that has been left on the ground.
50 Voices
Tom Drake
Elaine Traveras-Vicioso is the registered manager and team leader at Houghtons.
Tom has a really great personality; he’s a lovely gentleman. His mother was initially doing all of his personal care but it proved quite exhausting for her. Also his needs as a young man were not being met, especially in terms of social aspects and what was needed for him to progress in his future. From a busy education environment to a more quiet home life, Tom wasn’t having as much interaction and his mother also wanted to go back to work. Initially Tom was being assessed for another service however as his sister worked there this was not considered appropriate. Tom came to meet everyone at Houghtons and gradually began to have sleepovers and do activities. Soon Tom’s body language started to indicate that he wanted to stay at Houghtons.
Tom is non-verbal and incontinent and suffers from iconic jerks.
Tom particularly likes the Snoezelen which is a controlled multisensory environment. He enjoys the lights and the music and stretching out on the mattresses.
He has to be fed as he can’t eat or drink without support. He also has a nutritional thickener that is added to his drinks to stop him from asphyxiating and he is now managing very well. Tom particularly likes the Snoezelen which is a controlled multisensory environment. He enjoys the lights and the music and stretching out on the mattresses. Sometimes he likes someone to sit beside him but other times he likes to be alone.
Caroline, Tom’s key worker, works really well with him. She’s not been here for very long but they’ve already built up a very good rapport. Tom likes to be involved on a one to one basis and often prefers a quiet environment. He’s quite sensitive and doesn’t like a lot of noise. He’s quite a character and he’s our designated recycling man; he gets such fun out of it!
50 Voices
Tom Drake
At Houghtons there’s always a lot going on.
Tom was so brave at our zoo day and there a pictures of him holding snakes and even a rat!
We are very creative with the activities we do. There are local restaurants, parks, lakes, local buses and we have our own vehicle as well. We’ve had coffee mornings and zoo days. Tom was so brave at our zoo day and there a pictures of him holding snakes and even a rat! Being at Turning Point has given Tom the opportunity to get involved with activities especially with the Calvert Trust. Tom really enjoys that type of thing; he likes to be active!
50 Voices
Turning Point Standon House 21 Mansell Street London E1 8AA 020 7481 7600 info@turning-point.co.uk
50 Voices Learn more at www.turning-point.co.uk For press enquiries about 50 Voices please contact press@turning-point.co.uk