Active support means involving people we support in everyday activities and always doing this with, and not for people. As an example, we mean activities like cleaning, cooking, gardening and loading the dishwasher. No matter the ability of the person we should always strive to involve them.
Think about it this way: every moment has potential; every moment of the day provides an opportunity to involve a person we support in an activity. A small amount of involvement over the duration of a task is still a big achievement for someone who has never been actively involved in day-to-day activities.
There are 4 key components of active support, and we include these as part of our best practise because we are committed to our member living a life of independence.
Our activities focus on keeping our members engaged and working at their pace. Being busy and actively participating in meaningful, everyday activities provide real opportunities for our members to be engaged and to boost independence.
The four key components of active support are:
- Every Moment Has Potential: Daily activities like shopping, cooking, vacuuming and gardening, present meaningful opportunities for involvement.
- Little and Often: Recognising limited attention spans, we facilitate meaningful engagement by allowing individuals to dip in and out of activities.
- Graded Assistance: Providing just enough support ensures active participation, ranging from verbal prompts to hands-on assistance based on individual needs.
- Maximising choice and control. We plan our activities around the needs of our members, so everyone gets to choose for themselves and control what they are doing to suit their pace.
From nurturing independence to encouraging meaningful participation, the Robin Centre is committed to creating an environment where everyone can thrive.
Our goal is to transform our members’ lives and provide them with the life skills to live independently, confidently, and successfully!
Contact us to find out how we can help.
