White Towel – Green Towel

There were lots of words written about Mr T and not many of them were nice. There was a particular phrase used in long stay institutions in the case files of those who were seen to challenge. These words filled his case notes.

‘Spontaneous aggression, no obvious triggers’

And, if this was written often enough, it was used as the rationale for why a person should not move from that place into their own home in the community. What those words really meant was.

‘Although I live here and you support me, you do not know why I am distressed’

When viewed like this the rational response should be for the person to move somewhere where they can find peace and comfort. It is not too much to ask, it is not so very difficult.

After long negotiations Mr T moved out of the secure unit with 3:1 support, which he did not need or like. It reduced to 2:1 and then 1:1. What made the difference is summed up in this little story.

Mr T likes things just so. He likes a white towel in the downstairs bathroom. He doesn’t like a green towel in the downstairs bathroom. He gets upset if there is a green towel in the downstairs bathroom. We want Mr T to live a life of peace and comfort. It is his home, and we should respect his preferences. Now we know this is important, we never put a green towel in the downstairs bathroom. Mr T believes we care and will listen, because we do. He has a life of peace and comfort and very many people have a lot of nice words to say about him.

Mr T is a gentleman, he is an artist, he is a great neighbour, he is honourable and kind. His team love working for him.

Again, not so very difficult.

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Blog by Sam Smith – C-Change CEO

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