Supporting people in the best way we can is what we are all about at SeeAbility. Here to tell us more about a new way of working that will affect everyone is Paul Pargeter, Head of Quality and Inclusion. 

In a recent survey the people we support told us that - above everything else - they want us to support them to have new and different experiences. Their family members said it too. This is a clear instruction for us, but it’s also a reflection of one of life’s truths: that people always want to move forward. 

We want to support people to do this, and more – put simply, we want them to live their best lives. That’s why we’re excited to launch our Quality of Life programme. This is a new way to support each person to live the way they want. It’s been developed jointly with the people we support and those close to them.  

We all know lots of things come together to make up our lives. Our Quality of Life programme reflects this. It reflects a person’s life through eight areas called life domains including big things like relationships, communities and health. We will discuss these domains with people we’re supporting and their families, finding creative ways for each person to communicate their ambitions.  

Take James, for example. James is someone we support, and he could use these eight areas to think about any changes he wants in his life. 

If James wants to improve his health, he might want to try a membership at a local gym, or if a romantic relationship he might want to try some dating apps. 

By listening to James and regularly scoring how satisfied he is with each life-domain we can measure how he’s getting on. Of course, his goals may change. Life moves forward, and the goals James had yesterday may not be the same as the goals he will have tomorrow.  

That’s fine. We aren’t asking people to sign their lives away, or lock themselves into contracts (with a dating app or otherwise!). But these goals give us a guiding star. They mean we’re giving people the support they need to do important everyday things, and also things they’ve maybe only dreamed of before, or never dreamed of at all. 

It’s a different approach but we believe the Quality of Life programme is a great example of working together. Most importantly though, we are confident it will support James and many other people to live their best lives. 

We’re just at the start of this journey. It’s an exciting place to be.