Oxfordshire Advocacy

Here are a few examples of cases with which we have been involved.

1. An elderly lady with mental health problems wanted
to leave her abusive husband. She was referred to us by a nurse from one of the
City hospitals. The lady couldn`t return to her marital home and would need to
be rehoused. The staff in the hospital wanted to make sure that the lady’s voice
was being heard according to her wishes and not what the staff thought was in
her best interests. After the advocacy visits, the outcome was that she was
re-located within 2 weeks to a nursing home close by to her sister. The lady has
settled in very happily and is no longer agitated. The partnership lasted 3
weeks and was then mutually closed.

2. A young lady asked if we could provide an advocate
to support in attending an interview for claiming Benefits. She said she was
agoraphobic but was willing to make an attempt to undertake a bus journey from
her home into town, some 30 minutes travelling. She felt she needed an advocate
to help her remain focussed on the issue. Fortunately, a successful outcome had
been achieved, and four weeks later we had another enquiry from the same person,
seeking advocacy around applying for a move in accommodation.

3. We were asked by an estate agent whether  we could
support an elderly woman with significant mobility problems to gain access to a
solicitor. She wanted to sell her house so she could move into a ground floor
flat which would suit much better. Her solicitor was stating that she had to
have a formal photo ID such as a driving licence, passport or even shotgun
license to comply with money laundering regulations. She was unlikely to ever
need any of these documents but they were not prepared to consider other ways of
working around this. In the end another solicitor took her on apparently quite
able to work with her without those documents.

4. Mr. M, whose wife was in Residential Care, asked
for an Advocate to accompany him to a meeting at the Care Home. The Home
Manager, two nurses and a Social Worker were also attending the meeting to
discuss Mr. M.`s concerns and complaints he had with regard to the standards of
care he felt his wife was receiving. He wanted the Advocate to help him remain
focussed on the issues, because at a previous meeting at the Home, he felt he
was wound up and lost self-control by shouting. As the meeting progressed the
Advocate could see there was some degree of cultural misunderstandings in
communication from both parties, and asked for clarification on the difficult
points. The Advocate then reflected back to ensure the communication had been
understood by both parties.
At the end of the meeting Mr. M felt pleased that
he was able to get all his concerns understood.

5. ‘Susie’
Susie is an older lady who lives with her sister
since her parents died a few years ago. She was in an advocacy partnership for
approximately two years. The partnership did not achieve the outcome that was
Susie’s priority when she first came to the scheme, which was to move into her
own home. This was because during the course of the partnership, Susie began to
gain self-confidence and the relationship with her sister improved
significantly. Susie realised that she would actually be lonely living on her
own and that she wanted to stay with her sister. A great deal of work was done
with Susie to ensure that this was her own decision and that she was not just
saying what she thought people wanted to hear. Since the partnership began Susie
has started at college and got involved in many creative activities. She appears
much happier and, for the first time ever that her sister has heard, has
spontaneously declared that she is happy. She has also given up smoking!

6. ‘Albert’
Albert was an older gentleman with Down’s syndrome
and the onset of dementia who had been living in a large group home for about
fifteen years. The large home was in the process of being broken up into
smaller, supported living establishments and there were questions being raised
by the authority that provided funding for Albert about the cost of the
accommodation being requested for him. They were suggesting that he be moved to
a nursing home on account of his dementia and were looking into ‘appropriate’
places. It was difficult to get Albert to clearly state what he wanted but it
was clear that he enjoyed being around the people that he had lived with for
some time and that he was very content with the support he received from the
support staff working there. The advocate made the point that he had a right to
be supported by those that knew him well. Also, that the decision to move him
should not be made on financial grounds alone. He was in and out of hospital and
very unwell at times, but staff continued to visit him and it was evident from
his face that he was pleased to see them. After some difficulties the funding
authority agreed that Albert could stay in the home that had been prepared for
him. He died just after Christmas having spent it surrounded by people he knew
and loved and who understood and cared about him.