Heading for the light at the end of the tunnel…

The team at the Upstreet Project (Elizabeth House or next door in Artichoak Cottage) provide specialist support for people. Most of the people currently living in this community have been diagnosed with Korsakoff’s Syndrome or another form of ARBD (alcohol-related brain damage) and have – at least  temporarily – lost the ability to cope independently.

People join us once they have been medically stabilised (although occasionally we support people to detox here with the support from the local GP) and then collectively we do our best to help people to get their lives back together.

We have developed an holistic approach, focusing on good nutrition, exercise and developing healthier habits. We have a zero-tolerance policy on alcohol and illegal drugs and so the whole community is supported to remain abstinent, giving everyone the best chance at a new start.

We use re-ablement techniques to work towards rehabilitation with each and every person, regardless of their initial ability. This gives everyone the optimism that there is something to look forward to and this is vitally important for a person’s mental wellbeing.

The reality may be that a person will need help with some things for the rest of his or her life, but we work towards developing coping strategies with each person so that independence is maintained and maximised wherever possible.

Each person is supported individually to write and develop their own plans of care and support. Goals are set by people and a plan agreed for how – as a team – we are going to get there.  For many of the people we support, drinking had become their whole life and we encourage people to replace this habit with a wide range of activities and plenty of outings to broaden horizons and develop other pastimes.

There are beautiful gardens across all sites and everyone is encouraged to participate and take responsibility for this space. Until COVID-19, some of the people we support also volunteered several times a week at a local horticultural project. We are slowly returning to normal.

Our team coaches, encourages and enables our clients with development of work-based skills, life skills development including numeracy and literacy, as well as personal development including fitness.

We have multiple PCs and laptops available to those of our clients who don’t have their own, and we coach computer literacy in all forms, from using Facebook and other social networking sites, to using Skype to stay in touch with family. There is also wired and wireless broadband access throughout both homes for clients with their own smartphones and computer equipment.

Most of the people we support state that they would eventually like to return to the wider community and be living more independently. As a result of this, our balance of activities and practising of work-based skills reflects this. We are continually investing in facilities to meet our clients’ needs.

People here are encouraged to take plenty of exercise and work on their coordination skills. In addition to dance and exercise classes on site each week, many of the people we support also choose to go out for an afternoon walk every day, accompanied by staff and sometimes staff dogs too! We go whatever the weather, and we did this all the way through the corona pandemic as well – there are some things that are fundamental to a person’s wellbeing and the opportunity to go for a walk is definitely one of them.

Work-based skills development with the team at The Upstreet Project ranges from painting and decorating, DIY, gardening, catering and kitchen skills to renovating furniture.

We encourage everyone to keep exercising their grey matter – from board games to prepared debates, chess to crosswords – it’s good to keep your brain moving.

We also offer a full and complete rehabilitation programme for people who are ready to move out of The Upstreet Project and back into independent or supported living accommodation. Artichoak Cottage is designed for people who are ready to be more independent but wish to remain part of our extended community until they are ready to go back to their own home or on into other accommodation.

Life skills development covers issues such as budgeting and planning, shopping and looking after your own personal care. We encourage everyone we support to take responsibility for keeping their own rooms clean and tidy, do their own laundry and ironing if possible, and participating in community household duties such as helping in the kitchen.

There are regular independent as well as escorted shopping trips into Canterbury or to local shopping centres as well as to supermarkets. Whether shopping online or going in person, even the people we support who face the greatest challenges with their memory and sequencing skills can make their own choices regarding clothing and footwear as well as choose their own treats and snacks.

There are several in-house sessions to help people improve their numeracy and literacy. These range from Book Group meetings to Current Affairs debating and discussion with extracts from newspapers; Scrabble tournaments; interactive group budgeting exercises and basic literacy sessions. People are also supported to attend classes and activity groups outside the home, some of which also reinforce these skills.

Our planning and budgeting sessions are very interactive and people are strongly encouraged to contribute in as many ways as they feel able.

We aim to help everyone develop or relearn living skills that will support them if and when they return to more independent living. Current clients who for various reasons are less likely to live independently in the future also find these exercises very stimulating and our budgeting and planning sessions often lead to healthy debate about lifestyle choices and the economy as a whole.

However, it’s not all work either and people here have a full social schedule as well. Long term alcohol abuse can often lead to chaotic lifestyles, social withdrawal and unequal, unhealthy relationships, so we encourage everyone to be part of the in-house community as well as to make friends outside of the home. COVID-19 has obviously made that more challenging, but we have become very creative about assisting people with staying in touch with, or getting back in contact with, their families and old friends.

Arts & Crafts sessions mean that our clients are involved in a variety of projects; painting, creating collages and mosaics, making jewellery and a wide variety of other projects. Many of our clients find this very relaxing and therapeutic.