5 Ashley Avenue

5 Ashley Avenue is home to three adults with severe learning difficulties as well as complex health and behavioural needs. This service offers medium to long-term care solutions and endeavours to create a warm personal and homely (?)/intimate/familiar/ comfortable/friendly atmosphere.

As with our other services, the homes aim is to promote positive changes in behaviour, whilst increasing people’s level of functioning and independence. In contrast to the cognitive approach employed at 31 St Johns Church Road, complex behavioural needs at 3 Ashley Avenue are addressed through extensive assessment and analysis, resulting in robust behaviour intervention plans. We believe a behavioural approach is the most effective means of stimulating changes in behaviour, giving the extent of people’s learning disabilities and their limited receptive and expressive communication skills. This approach is based upon principles of positive approaches to challenging behaviour exemplified by the Institute of Applied Behavioural Analysis (The Active Approach).

The Passive Approach.

In addition to our active behavioural interventions, we believe that a great deal of challenging behaviour can be diminished through the careful and thorough design of services. 3 Ashley Avenue is designed/structured/ planned to provide its residents with well organised, spacious and comfortable accommodation, a wide range of personalised stimulating and rewarding activities, and access to optimum staffing levels. Thus removing many of the triggers commonly associated with, for example, attention-seeking behaviour, demand avoidance behaviours, etc. Equally the small scale of the service ensures a quieter, calmer environment with less people around to become potential triggers(?). Furthermore, a reduction in the volume of information present in the environment ensures that triggers/causes for behavioural outbursts are more easily identified and respond to/rectified.

Activities at 3 Ashley Avenue are designed to stimulate further development and skills to empower people to exercise more control over their lives and experience a safe level of independence, to pursue hobbies and interests that are personally rewarding whilst exploring new opportunities, whilst expanding their repertoire of experiences. Activities are designed to stretch and exercise people both physically and intellectually, and where possibly to provide them with opportunities to access their communities. Focus is very much on enjoying life and on keeping active and healthy. Service users participate in two holidays per year.

The home has a strong focus/attention and emphasis on empowering people to communicate using whatever medium is best for them. Finally, the home prides itself on delivering the very highest standards of personal care and risk management thus ensuring that people always look their best and remain safe.