In 2017, one of our team members met Kathleen – a lovely elderly woman who had lost her eye sight many years ago after a severe car accident. With no immediate family members to take care of her, most of her days were spent sitting alone in her lounge room facing a white wall.
Kathleen was isolated at home by herself every day, unsure of how to take care of herself, unsure of her surrounding and unable to visit friends as much as she would like. In an attempt to improve her quality of life, Kathleen began to search for support providers that could help bring some joy back into her life. After a short search, Kathleen found an old provider who sadly neglected many of their duties, which left her back at square one without any support and very uncertain about where to go.
After hearing about her situation, one of our friendly team members here at Breakthru jumped at the chance to help Kathleen – tirelessly working to improve her quality of life and get her feeling comfortable in her own home. After spending much time with Kathleen, Breakthru were able to help her connect with a variety of other supports to help her get around the house and visit friends as much as she would like.
Previously unable to use the kitchen, Kathleen was connected with an Occupational Therapist that helped us install rails in her bathroom, kitchen & lounge room to help her get around the house. Kathleen now happily cooks everyday since – a favourite past-time of hers which is quickly developing into her new found hobby.
The years spent unable to play piano came to an end, as new supports were put into place to help her learn the skill again using CDs and different methods.
Kathleen has also since become much more comfortable in her own home, with new supports to help her with yard and general home maintenance. Training was also provided to show her how to use her cane properly, and how to map out different structures in and around her home.
Since receiving her new support services, Kathleen now goes out on her own outings 3 days a week and is blown away by the amount of support she has received. She’s now able to arrange her own transport to visit friends, read her own mail using magnifiers and even has the confidence to navigate the city on her own for the first time in years.
Kathleen has built her capacity to an impressive standard, and she new enjoys a much greater quality of life as a result. Although there is still much left to do, the distance Kathleen has traveled on her journey with Breakthru is nothing short of amazing.
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On Thursday, 5th July Breakthru celebrated 25 years of life & success. To mark such a wonderful occasion, we will be sharing customer success stories from over the years throughout the month of July.
