Picture spending an entire year of your life in a hospital. Or, maybe for 5 years. It’s unsettling, isn’t it? You might feel tightness in your stomach just thinking about it. But what if it wasn’t just a few years, what if it was nearly three decades? The thought alone is difficult to understand, let alone experience. The emotional and physical toll of such prolonged hospitalisation is devastating. And yet, for many people, this is a harsh reality they live through far too often.
Lisa lived for almost 30 years in a hospital setting, receiving institutionalised care due to severe mental health challenges that made it difficult for her to take care of herself or make well-informed choices about her own life. Yet, if one word captures Lisa best, it is undoubtedly resilience.
With the right support, Lisa managed to accomplish so much since she transitioned into the community. She is now living in her own home, gradually learning to take control of her choices and shape a life that reflects her own values and aspirations.
Take a quick look at the highlights of Lisa’s care journey with CTS Nurseline Healthcare, the strategies our team used and the positive outcomes that followed.
Highlights
- From being institutionalised in a hospital for almost 30 years, Lisa now lives in her own home, makes personal decisions, and is more involved in daily activities.
- She co-created her Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) plan, choosing elements of her transition, and actively participates in her care planning and choices.
- Reduction of behaviours of concern: Incidents dropped from up to 48 per month in the hospital to 8 in February 2024, none requiring physical interventions.
Strategies Used
- Person-centred approach, led by a multidisciplinary team including PBS specialists, occupational therapists, nurses, and multimedia specialists.
- Collaborative planning, such as close work with hospital staff and Lisa herself to identify triggers and develop tailored interventions.
- Phased transition: Gradual transition from hospital to community team.
- Multimedia social story animation: Custom avatar-based video explained every step of the transition, addressing Lisa’s anxieties in an engaging and accessible format.
- Through environmental adaptations, her new home was tailored to her safety, comfort, and preferences.
- Consistent support team building trust through continuity of care.
Outcomes
- Reduced anxiety and improved emotional regulation
- Enhanced quality of life and confidence through community involvement, allowing Lisa to make decisions that impact her life.
- Strengthened relationships and trust through stable support from the care teams, encouraging Lisa to develop meaningful, trusting relationships.
- The animation-based strategy is now a reusable, practical resource for upcoming life changes.
