 The Wessex Autistic Society was recently able to assist a family who were stranded in Spain by providing respite care for their son, Jamie, who has autism. Wessex Lodge, which is run by the Christchurch based charity, provides specialist short break provision for young people with a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder and / or learning development disability. Emma Chisholm and her family, husband Lee and children Ben 12 and Molly 3, had placed Jamie, who is 11 years old, in the care of Wessex Lodge for a week whilst they went on their first ever family holiday to Spain. Due to volcanic ash clouds the family found themselves unable to fly home and collect Jamie at the agreed time; in fact, it would be a whole week before they were able to get home and collect their son, leaving him in the care of staff at Wessex Lodge for two weeks in total, doubling his stay. After driving across Spain for two days to the port of Bilbao and a 30 hour ferry crossing, the Chisholm family finally made it back to Poole 6 nights after they were originally due home. Paula Harvey Gorbutt, Manager of Wessex Lodge comments, “Jamie is well known to us, although normally stays with us for a few nights at a time. This was a very difficult situation for Jamie as children with autism like to have routines and schedules that are unchanging to help them feel comfortable and relaxed. Obviously in this situation no-one knew when Jamie’s family would be able to get home. We had excellent communications with the family which was a great help and allowed us to give Jamie regular updates about the situation as events unfolded. The fact that Jamie was also a student at Portfield School was also a great help as it meant we were able to mirror his routine at school all the time he was with us to make him feel more comfortable. We are obviously delighted with the outcome as Jamie had a wonderful time and his family were secure in the knowledge he was being well looked after.” Wessex Lodge is committed to working in partnership with parents, carers, teachers and other professionals with a clear focus on seeking the best outcomes for young people. The specialist respite care facility provides excellent, reliable, caring and flexible overnight short-break service which is tailored to meet individual user needs. Emma Chisholm comments, “The specialist care and flexibility Wessex Lodge offer my son is invaluable. Having used the service for nearly 2 years as a family we have always been very grateful and 100% happy. Paula and her team are amazing and we now call them our extended family. We decided to embark on our first ever family holiday abroad in April and, although I felt mother’s guilt leaving Jamie, I knew he would have a wonderful time. Unfortunately we did not return when we had planned due to the volcano and did not make it back for another 6 nights. The staff at Wessex Lodge were so reassuring and accommodating. Every time I called, the staff told me how happy Jamie was, which was such a relief. We are very lucky to have Wessex Lodge and feel they exceeded themselves in this situation. Autism affects the whole family and without Wessex Lodge I am not sure how we would cope.” Wessex Lodge is a modern purpose built facility for short breaks for children between the ages of 2 and 19 who have a diagnosis of Autism and / or a learning disability. Situated in Christchurch, within the secure grounds of Portfield School, it benefits from modern purpose built facilities including lounge/diner, playroom, four single bedrooms, shower room, bathroom, kitchen, laundry, office, an enclosed garden, as well as staff sleep-in facilities. Wessex Lodge will be holding an Open Day on 22nd June from 10am to 4pm for interested parties to tour the facilities and speak with members of the team. Anyone interested in attending this event is asked to contact Wessex Lodge on 01202 331556 or email
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
. For further information about The Wessex Autistic Society please visit www.twas.org.uk |
