Liam currently lives with his mother but is eager to learn new life skills so he can achieve his goal of getting his own place and moving out. Since meeting Brian, an independent support worker on the Mable platform, he has charged ahead with confidence around new abilities.
“The best times I’ve had with Brian are when we do maths, go on walks and then talk about stuff,” Liam says. “He’s teaching me how to tie shoelaces as well, and shaving.”
Being able to choose his own support worker has been life-changing for Liam. The Mable platform enables customers to browse from thousands of independent support worker profiles using filters for location, gender, interests and qualifications. They can then create a shortlist, reach out to the workers they feel will be the best fit and arrange a meet-and-greet.
For Liam, Brian is an important male role model who teaches him skills around independence and provides a social connection. The two have lots of chats, especially on their regular walks and then knuckle down and focus on growing Liam’s life skills.
Initially, while learning to shave, Liam needed a little assistance with dexterity and Brian was able to help guide the razor. It wasn’t long before Liam was shaving on his own, emerging from the bathroom each time with a big smile on his perfectly shaven face.
When it came to money, a whole new set of skills had to come into play.
“Liam needs to be independent in his life,” Brian says, “especially with the money side of things because although he’s working, there were little to no savings and he needed help budgeting. We started with the basic things, addition and subtraction, and I’m stressing the point of being better with the addition of money than the subtraction,” he smiles.
Brian began by teaching Liam to be more familiar with the kitchen, guided him on setting the table for dinner, helping his mum with the washing up and making his own toasted sandwiches for lunch. The goal the pair are currently working towards is for Liam to be able to move out but as far as Liam is concerned, the goal goes far beyond just getting his own place. “Maybe get a girlfriend, get married and have kids,” he smiles.
Check out the Mable website for plenty of stories about how people have connected with great workers in their communities to build their independence, shared their passions and achieved goals through the supports they chose… Whether paid for privately or subsidised by the NDIS, the Mable platform makes support more affordable for all.