Henshaws 16 Spring Mount Harrogate

Our son is visually impaired and has learning and mobility difficulties ,on leaving Henshaws College he was fortunate enough to be offered a place in one of Henshaws community houses, Spring Mount is his second house where he has now been for some years. He shares with 5 other service users [ we prefer to call them housemates ] and in his time here he has gained so much. Due to the care ,support and real commitment of the staff here he has been able to achieve so many things which we never thought he could. Just recently he took part in a triathlon and the pride we felt as we watched him swim length after length is indescribable, this would not have been possible without the endless encouragement of both the house staff and volunteers within the Henshaws community. one of the most heartwarming things we heard that day was from one of our sons housemates as we all sat round their dining table after the triathlon, he said ``the best thing about living at Spring Mount is that we all help each other`` there seems to be a natural empathy between them which is very much encouraged by the staff .Our son has many friends and is able to pursue his own personal interests as well as shared ones within the house, all of which are made possible with the [often] extra mile the staff are willingly to go .you might think that this is a house where people with disabilities live , in fact it is far more than that this is the future we never saw our son having , with a level of independence we never thought he`d have all within a caring and safe environment with so many opportunities to progress even further. We are always made welcome when we visit and are always kept well informed of anything regarding our son. staff respond promptly when any health issues arise which gives us peace of mind and we know that all of his needs are being met.
Original Comment Report...

Our daughter is visually impaired and autistic.We are very impressed by the care that the staff provide.They give a great deal of support to our daughter and of course to all the other service users.She has independance and guidance whenever it is required.The staff are fully aware of the service users needs as many have been there for a long time.Each service user has a key worker who offers individual care and support with any difficulties.The staff also ensure that the service users health care needs are catered for.They go out of their way to ensure that any problems are quickly resolved.Our daughter is very happy there and finds the atmosphere stimulating.The house provides her with a very pleasant home.
Original Comment Report...

Our son, who is severely sight impaired with some other difficulties, lives in this house and it has proved a very happy second home for him. He enjoys the atmosphere and environment and has a life which has plenty of activity both inside and outside of the house. He feels he has independence and security and has excellent relationships both with his fellow service users and staff. As parents we have been very impressed by the management of this house over recent years and by the team of staff built up. They find the right balance between giving service users independence but also providing the measure of guidance and support that they need and they do so with good humour. Many of them go far beyond what might normally be expected in order to make sure that those in their care have as full a life as possible. The fact that a number of them have been in the house over a period of time means that they know and understand the individual needs of each of the service users. High levels of attention are paid to issues concerning service user safety and security along with the necessary attention to issues such as hygiene and fire safety, and this means that we can feel confident about our son's security; importantly though to us is the fact that this is achieved within a human environment where understanding and good humour is a norm. As should always be the case we get the clear impression that in this house, the needs and well-being of the service users always come first.
Original Comment Report...