Community Stories
Often we hear negative stories about Care Providers, SIL Participants or the NDIS in general. However, for every negative story, there are countless positive stories. We love sharing our success stories to help inspire others and to provide hope.
This month we want to introduce you to our legendary, and longest standing SIL Participant – Stephen. Also known as Charlie Brown or perhaps more commonly referred to as Mr G.
Let’s start by going back – way back. Stephen was born into a family of 15 children. Yes… fifteen. His mother is just fine, in case you were wondering… and yes, she’s still alive!
Stephen had a pretty typical life. Living most of his life spilling a dad joke or two at his family home in Ipswich. He loves being part of his community, he’s an old school type of bloke who loves the country and his gardens and can recite a Judge Judy episode with impeccable flair. He had some interesting careers including being a Pastry Chef and a Potter.
However, this all drastically changed in 2020, when Stephen tragically suffered from a debilitating stroke.
After his stroke, Stephen was living in a tiny country hospital for 3 months while he was awaiting admission into an aged care facility. This sadly is the situation for many Australians who have limited options after a significant medical event and cannot return home due to changed support requirements. During this time Stephen was not able to see his family, he was isolated from his community and all of his day to day comforts he loved. He felt alone, forgotten and often being confined to a bed all day.
It was during his stay in hospital that Stephen found Amar and Lydia at LME Care and hasn’t looked back. They took the time to really understand Stephen’s goals, desires and then helped him to create an action plan.
The team worked tirelessly to find Stephen a home and the support he needed. He has teamed up with a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, a dietician, a GP and the best support workers. Within a few short months, Mr G had lost a significant amount of weight, was moving confidently with a 4 wheel walker and smashing his goals.
A dream of Mr. G’s has been to travel again. With his stroke this seemed all but impossible. He would hear stories from his family travelling to places like Australia Zoo and would dream to see the animals up close.
In 2023, the team At LME Care made the seemingly impossible, possible. Through some hard work and tenacity, the team managed to fund Stephen to travel to Australia Zoo for 3 days with a small support team. He was able to experience first hand the stories he’d heard from his family and had a fantastic time with his brilliant support worker Ross.
He’s also recently had the opportunity to travel to Toowoomba for the Carnival Of Flowers. This was a truly memorable experience and he’s now looking forward to several other short term trips in the near future.
Stephen is not just a SIL Participant to us. He’s a part of the LME Care family. With his big heart, colourful banter and bright shirts, he consults regularly with our team on new ideas and improvements, and is a support to our other SIL Participants.
Mr G now regularly attends Milly’s Place to participate in art classes and pottery. He loves displaying his creative works in his home and sharing them with loved ones.
This old dog is definitely learning a new trick or two, swearing to never touch a computer, to now video calling and keeping in touch with family and friends on his new iPad. There is really nothing that he can’t do!
From being in isolation to now ticking off his wish list. Stephen is a truely remarkable and inspirational individual and we can’t wait to see what he does or where he goes next.
For more information on how we can help you, reach out to our team on 07 3112 7883. Or visit our Website: https://lmecare.com.au/
