How the story begins...

Now almost a month has passed since I've left my old life in Germany for my new one in Edinburgh, but for me it does not feel like a month but rather like a lifetime and a lot has happened since, many things have changed... So lets start from top:

I spend 35 hours a week at Niddrie Farm Grove, which is an institution where adults with learning disabilities and physical disabilities of varied stages get the chance of assisted living. At NFG we have a total of 5 service users, three female and two male, around the age of 30 to 50, who've all got their own room and a shared living room as well as a kitchen.

My Organisation, SHARE Scotland, intends to not simply undertake the tasks and routines of their Residents but to assist them achieve them on their own. But as NFG's Service users all suffer from rather severe forms of disability this is only manageable to a certain extend leading to a lot of work for the staff members, including me.

So over the period of four weeks I have managed to get to know everybody and have learned my way around them, the individual tricks and manners to interact with our Service Users as they all show so different behaviours and react to different forms of communication.

Only one of our Residents is able to talk, even if only in a limited state, while the rest is non verbal. So you can imagine the shock on my first day... No one talks and the only one that does I can't understand properly? How am I going to work with them?! But as I gave it a few days to settle in it eventually got easier and by now it comes naturally to pick up on the things they'll tell me in their own way and easily react to that.

I will not say it was an easy road, but that is what makes life intersting and I feel like I have set the best course possible for a great adventure!

You will hear from me very soon.

Love,
Meike