Empowering Care – Zara’s journey with Hopscotch Homecare

Category – LGBTQIA+

Overcoming isolation and physical challenges through trust and specialised LGBTQIA+ support

Situation

Zara is a transgender woman who lives with her partner, Tahmina, who holds the Lasting Power of Attorney for Zara’s finances, health and welfare. Zara, formerly an actress, now faces severe physical challenges including difficulty verbalising. She is supported by her partner to ensure her views and opinions are communicated effectively. 

Challenge

Zara found it difficult to engage with other people, because of her speech impediment, lack of trust in engaging with people, and her dislike for meaningless conversation. Over the past year, her health and mobility have declined, accompanied by increased pain and difficulties in managing basic needs such as toileting and eating. 

Support

•  Hopscotch Care Workers hold specialist training in sensitive LGBTQIA+ care, and they always follow Zara’s lead in conversations. They understood it would take time for Zara to build trust with them. 
• Zara’s dedicated Fieldcare Supervisor re-assessed Zara’s needs very regularly, to make sure her health deterioration was well supported, and that Zara was in control of any changes needed.
• The Fieldcare Supervisor worked closely with Zara and her partner Tahmina, to make sure that the personal care, especially around toileting, was managed by the Care Worker team, exactly the way Zara needed it to be.

Impact

1. With increased calls, Zara’s Care Worker team were able to help her stay on top of the pain, making movement slightly easier. 
2. As trust built, Zara was able to speak a little at a time about topics that interested her – i.e. her family and her past profession, with the different productions that she acted in.
3. Over time, Zara started to accept the idea of being taken out on trips in a wheelchair. As her acceptance increased, her dedicated Fieldcare Supervisor conducted a risk assessment and arranged for a wheelchair to be provided.
4. Once the trips out commenced, Zara realised she enjoyed the one-to-one support to go out into the community with the carer using the wheelchair. 
5. The Fieldcare Supervisor explored the option of going to a Day Centre a few times a week, but Zara was clear that she felt she experienced better stimulation on her trips out in the wheelchair with her Care Workers.
6. Meaningful communication and trust are well established now with Zara, so she feels she can ask her Fieldcare Supervisor or the Care Workers any questions she has about the ways in which her increasing needs can be met, with sensitivity and efficiency.