{"id":16365,"date":"2022-11-22T10:58:28","date_gmt":"2022-11-22T10:58:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/?p=16365"},"modified":"2024-03-28T10:54:23","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T10:54:23","slug":"giving-martin-the-keys-to-open-up-his-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/blog\/giving-martin-the-keys-to-open-up-his-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Giving Martin the keys to open up his world"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"is-style-intro\">Anxiety kept Martin from stepping outside of his home for over a decade. When he moved to his new home with Sense, Martin\u2019s team did everything they could to support him and reignite his zest for life. His sister, Audrey, reflects on Martin\u2019s incredible journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Talking about my brother today, I\u2019m describing a very different person to the one he\u2019d become in his previous home. During his time there, Martin\u2019s world shrunk; he didn\u2019t go out, didn\u2019t really have hobbies and he didn\u2019t seem to want to see people. We knew he wasn\u2019t himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Martin\u2019s always been a naturally cheerful person. He\u2019s musical too \u2013 like today, you can hear him singing to himself around the house! And in his car, too, he loves having the radio on when he\u2019s out and about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Giving Martin the keys to open up his world\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nlkH0ZMYx9Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block    accordion__item\"> \t<summary class=\"accordion__title\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"accordion__toggle\">\n\t\tVisual transcript\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t<\/summary>\n\n\t<div class=\"accordion__content\">\n\t\t<div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<p>The film starts with Martin, a middle-aged man with dark skin and a bald head, putting on his shoes.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Audrey: Martin has such a good quality of life now, he\u2019s got a lovely bungalow, he\u2019s living independently \u2013 he can listen to what he wants on his tv and radio, he\u2019s even singing along so I know he\u2019s happy.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Martin opens the front door of his home and steps out into the sunny street.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ms Soloman: When we visit, he seems to be very cheerful. He\u2019s really come a long way. It was a journey for him.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Standing on the grass in front of his bungalow, Martin is arm in arm with his support worker, Sobiah, who smiles up at him. Sobiah is shorter than Martin, she wears a brown hijab and dress.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ms Soloman: When Martin was born, they diagnosed the tumour, sitting on the eye nerve. They couldn\u2019t operate because if they operate on it, he wouldn\u2019t survive. We didn\u2019t realise how bad his eyesight would be. And the eyesight deteriorated from then. And it just went. Not only the tumour affects his sight, but his mental ability.&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are framed photographs of Martin inside his home, alongside his Sense Award certificate \u2013 Person of the Year 2019.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We see Martin\u2019s medication bottles and Sobiah taking his blood pressure. They sit on the sofa to do this, while Martin squeezes a stress ball.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Outside in Martin\u2019s garden, his mother is sat speaking to camera.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ms Soloman: The doctors said he wouldn\u2019t live to be 12 year old. 12 year old! They gave him 12 years, he\u2019s 53 years old now.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, we see Martin\u2019s sister, Audrey, speaking to camera from the garden.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Audrey: At one of the previous homes, Martin wasn\u2019t really having any quality of life in there. Somebody set off a firework one time near Martin and it frightened Martin so much Martin would not leave.&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In his front room, Martin stands in front of his sofa with his arms gently folded.&nbsp; As he moves around his home, we see one of his support workers touch his back reassuringly.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Audrey: They had trouble at the other place getting him out. And I don\u2019t even think Martin saw the light of day. He was always indoors.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His house keys hang in the front door.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ms Soloman: Before the move. We had meetings at that place, a lot of meetings. People from Sense were attending. You see the family and the social workers and everybody and it was a big decision.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The family are gathered in Martin\u2019s conservatory, he holds their hands and stands nearby.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Audrey: Things could only improve. Three years ago now, he came outside and touched the grass for the first time \u2013 for the first time in his early fifties.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Out in the garden, Martin is walking through the grass with Sobiah.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fade to black.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The video reappears, Martin and Sobiah open the conservatory door and step outside into the garden.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sobiah: I worked with Martin for four years now. Martin has definitely made a lot of progress.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We see them walking through the garden, arm in arm, while Martin feels his way along the rope fence with the other.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sobiah sits and talks to camera, we see Martin\u2019s garden in the background.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sobiah: We went from small goals like opening the door and, you know, maybe just stepping outside to stepping outside and touching the table. When we started taking Martin out for walks, we would maybe just reach the end of the driveway, and that was over months. And then from that point to getting him down to the local shop, it probably took us another six months.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Martin steps out of his front door; he\u2019s wearing a big coat and woolly hat. He\u2019s guided into his car and Sobiah drives him to his local chip shop. Inside, they order Martin fish and chips.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sobiah: It\u2019s definitely improved the quality of his life. It might just be everyday things for you, but it\u2019s definitely been positive for Martin.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We see Sobiah plating up the fish and chips in the kitchen. She hands Martin the plate and sprinkles salt over his food. Martin sits down to eat.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Audrey: Sense had a very big impact on Martin\u2019s life. He\u2019s living independently and his confidence has grown.&nbsp; They keep in regular touch. They\u2019ll email me. They have meetings and they just they just check in to see how we are and if we\u2019re happy with what how they\u2019re taking care of Martin.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Out in the sun, Martin let\u2019s go of Sobiah\u2019s arm and reaches out to feel the bonnet of his car.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sobiah: The next milestones for Martin, he\u2019s achieved so many throughout the years. Maybe a longer car journey to get him to the beach, to have his favourite meal, the fish and chips in the sand. And hopefully, you know, he\u2019ll get his toes out on the on the sand.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The last shot shows Martin standing outside his open front door, with the sun shining on him.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ms Soloman: I\u2019m proud of Martin, very proud of Martin. He\u2019s come a long way.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Martin\u2019s past experiences<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before Sense, outings in a car \u2014 or even outside of his home \u2014 had stopped being an option. We can\u2019t be sure of what happened to make him withdraw so much. We believe that he had a frightening experience when someone set a firework off near Martin in a previous home. It upset him so much that he stopped going out. For years he wouldn\u2019t even open a window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019d go to visit and always find him sitting indoors. He\u2019d just wander around from room to room. There wasn\u2019t really anything going on to engage him, not when we went at least. It seemed the staff there were struggling to support him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06694-1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06694-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06694-1-600x337.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06694-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06694-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06694-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06694-1-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06694-1-1600x900.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Martin standing in his front room, listening to music playing on the radio.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>There were a lot of meetings between us and social services, who then arranged to meet with people from Sense. We all decided that the best thing for Martin was to move. His quality of life just wasn\u2019t there. He wasn\u2019t speaking much and had developed more challenging behaviours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The move was definitely the right thing for Martin. His quality of life now has shot up with Sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>We\u2019re all excited for Martin\u2019s future<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Giving Martin his own home has been brilliant, a huge step for his independence and happiness. He gets a lot from being able to make his own tea, tidy up after himself and run his own home, all with the support he needs. I know the team have put in a lot of work to slowly give Martin opportunities and confidence to do new things. They know him really well now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-medium\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06713-450x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16376\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06713-450x800.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06713-576x1024.jpg 576w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06713-768x1366.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06713-864x1536.jpg 864w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06713-1152x2048.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06713-900x1600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06713-600x1067.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC06713-scaled.jpg 1439w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Martin and his support worker, Sobiah, walking home after stepping out to enjoy the sun.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When mum and I got the call to say Martin had been going on trips outside, we were so proud. It took many, many months of work for him to be able to go past the end of his drive, so it was a really big deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It started with small steps; opening the windows and garden doors; stepping out to feel the grass under his feet for the first time in over a decade; venturing to the end of his road; and then, months later, even going to his local shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, Martin\u2019s just been away on his first holiday! His Sense team arranged to take him to Sherwood Forest for a long weekend and seemed to do really well. He asked to go out every morning, he was loving the sounds of nature all around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sense send us updates on Martin\u2019s progress all the time. Over the last few years, Martin\u2019s been bowling, he\u2019s been to Christmas pantos, he\u2019s been out to restaurants \u2013 none of this was part of his life before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What\u2019s next for Martin? Well, I know his team have started planning a trip to the beach! So, we\u2019re excited to see how that goes. He\u2019ll also be coming to his mum\u2019s for dinner soon \u2013 it\u2019s been great to feel like our connection with Martin is growing stronger now that he\u2019s in a better place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anxiety kept Martin from stepping outside of his home for over a decade. When he came to Sense, Martin\u2019s team reignited his zest for life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":16386,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"display_author":[364],"class_list":["post-16365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","display_author-audrey"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16365"},{"taxonomy":"display_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/display_author?post=16365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}