POhWER Advocate, Tamara received an urgent call about Lynn, who has Autism and a learning disability and was in a care home. Tamara was told that Lynn was at high risk of being admitted into hospital and she was very unlikely to engage with Tamara, despite being referred for advocacy on three separate occasions.

Tamara spent some time reading about and talking to staff about Lynn’s communication needs and started to plan how she could encourage her to engage so she could ensure her voice was heard. She decided to prepare a series of videos with some thought bubbles. She was really pleased that the staff reported that Lynn seemed to have enjoyed the films. She was observed smiling throughout and waved and said goodbye to Tamara at the end of the video. The staff said Lynn would be happy to watch Tamara’s next video.

Lynn did not need to be admitted to hospital and she appears to be settling at the home.