Haven Centre in Inverness provides chance to get a hair wash and enjoy some pampering
Once a week, Beth Williamson (14) has a sleepover in one of the suites at the Haven Centre in Inverness.
It means she can get her hair washed and enjoy some pampering while it gives her parents, Amelia and Andy, time to themselves and to focus on their 16-year-old son Arthur.
Beth has a rare genetic disorder, resulting in an intellectual disability and epilepsy but two years ago started to lose her mobility and now uses a wheelchair.
Although she cannot speak very well, she communicates using signing and has an iPad but still gets frustrated.
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Beth, a pupil at Drummond School, was one of the first to use one of the three fully-adapted suites at the centre for young people with complex needs after it opened a year ago.
“Unfortunately, our house is not designed for someone with mobility issues,” says Amelia, a child psychotherapist.
“It is getting harder and harder to get her into the shower or bath.”
She ponders what they would do without the centre.
“We would probably have to take her to the local swimming pool to wash her,” she says. “We would have to think creatively and not get respite”
She outlined the practical realities faced by families living with a child with complex needs.
“I can never just go to the shop, or go for a walk, or meet a friend,” she says.
“Someone has to be with Beth 24/7.
“We have to plan around each other all the time, around our jobs, and there are moments it is quite stressful.”
She feels lucky they have access to the centre and says being able to get respite there gives them peace of mind, knowing their daughter is enjoying herself and having a bit of independence in a safe environment with carers who know her.
Beth also takes part in activities she might not otherwise have tried when she attends sessions run by the Special Needs Action Project (SNAP) each week and in the school holidays.
“In my whole experience there has never been something she looks forward to as much as SNAP,” Amelia says.
“She is excited about it.
“I’m so grateful.
“It feels we are making progress towards some of of her skills otherwise she would just be sitting at home watching TV with her mum.”
She describes Elsie Normington who campaigned for 10 years to achieve the £4.8 million centre as an amazing lady and says what it delivers is “really exceptional”.
She feels the centre has created a sense a community.
“I think belonging is so important for these young people,” she says. “They feel excluded from so much.”
