Sue – A Parent's Story
I can still remember our first visit to a Reach singing pod. I couldn’t stop smiling at the sheer joy of the participants, and the way that my son, Dominic, immediately started moving in time to the music. It was like the answer to a prayer.
Like any parent of a child with a severe disability, my life had been filled with medical appointments, therapies, meeting educational needs and the relentless slog of caring for him day and night. It was tough, but there was lots of help out there. But then, as Dominic reached adulthood, all the children’s services melted away and suddenly we were on our own, wondering how the future would be.
Like most people, I had no idea of the hive of activities for adults with learning difficulties that existed as a parallel world in our very own home area. Here was the very thing I had been hoping for – a reason for Dominic to get up in the morning and a chance for him to make friends and become part of a community that would always be there for him.
In the years since that first visit, Dominic has enjoyed activities as varied as horticulture at the purpose-designed Flower Pod, pottery, cooking, music, “sit and be fit” and communication skills, not to mention endless parties and other get-togethers. His Reach sessions are the focus of his week and give him the routine and stimulation that he so badly needs. Not only that, but Reach has been there for our family as a whole, providing contacts with others in a similar position, workshops on subjects such as making financial provision for people with learning difficulties and supporting us through a recent bereavement.
Nobody could have predicted the Covid pandemic and the profound impact on people with limited understanding of the situation, now confined to their homes with no outside contact. Here again, Reach rose to the challenge, providing online activities, doorstep deliveries of materials for crafts or cookery and even, on one occasion, a box of ingredients for an afternoon tea to cheer us up. A well-timed notification from Reach also allowed me to book Dominic’s first Covid vaccination as soon as he became eligible.
When I first discovered Reach, I was so glad to find an organisation that could provide activities for people like Dominic. I could never have imagined the support and kindness that were waiting for him. Every parent’s greatest wish is for their son or daughter to be happy and fulfilled. With the help of Reach, I firmly believe my wish is coming true.