A smiley Birthday Boy for Terra

This is lovely...
I'm so glad Robin enjoyed his special party...
... and I reckon the cake was wonderful...
..even though you didn't photograph it...LOL.

Lovely photo Carole he knows whats important

Great to know that he enjoyed his day.

Hi Robin ,looks like you had a lovely birthday.....

Happy Birthday Robin! :~)))

You can tell he had a wonderful time , That smile says it all Carole ,
I don't blame him for liking things to eat and drink .. I do to .. !! .. :o)

Hi Robin.....Hope you had a lovely birthday.......

Thanks all, Its rather a ritual for us but is something that makes Robin Happy and he is now counting down weeks to the next one!

But of course he is! He looks as though he was having a great day!

well he looks like he`s enjoying his day carole, lovely happy pic ;o)

Thanks Mp and San it his enjoyment that keeps us going, although it gets harder as we get older!

I DO know what you mean, PP. I work with adults with LD, so I understand the challenges you face! He seems a happy man, though! :~))
You obviously did a great job with him!

Well like to think so, and Simon his brother is now Manager over ALD in Tameside where we live, Robin is in a supported living hose but due to the severity of his Autisimn as two carers 24hrs, Robin comes to us with his carers for Sunday Lunch every week so we are very much involved, Before I retired I was Manager of residential services for Children with LD so runs in the family. What field of LD do you work im MP?

I work in supported accomodation, as a support worker. Most of our tenants have Down's, but some have brain injuries/MH problems. A mixed bunch, really! Im also involved with a charity that provides social outings & holidays for 'marginalised' people. That covers all kinds of 'issues', MH, LD. Visual Impairment, Physical Impairment- anyone, really! I'm doing Community Learning & Development at Uni, and as I say, hope to specialise in Art Therapy.
I wouldn't want a manager's job if they paid me millions!! All the red tape would strangle me! You (and Simon) have my admiration (& sympathy! LOL).

Well its a small world isnt it it MP you are doing a great job , as you can gather Robin is in a supported living house so I can see the problems from all sides having managed five homes in my working past, should have guessed your profession by your sense of humour!I started as a Community Support Worker many years ago, thn went on to do my social work degree and on it went! took early retirement 12 years ago, so everything now is chanelled in making sure Robin gets the best care possible.

It IS a small world! I opted for CommEd rather than Social work (I swithered between them) & I'm glad I did now! There's so much red tape everywhere!
The sense of humour? Lol! I suppose it HAS adapted a bit! I think you NEED a highly developed sense of the ridiculous to survive in care work!
I can honestly say that it seems to me that Robin IS getting great care!

He is now MP due to his traumatic and damaging past , and our imput as parents I can be quite assertive and put a lot of pressure on when I think things are starting to slip [ you have probably come across parents like me] I guess despite all his difficulties he is now one of the lucky ones! If you are interested I can let you know more by PM.

That's the best kind of parent to be! And you're obviously letting him 'grow up', too, which is really important! Of all the guys I support, the ones with the most problems are the ones who have been 'babied'! Yes, please do pm me!

Happy birthday Robin ..seems to be coping well with the attention PP assume from your comments hes living at home with you now ?

Hope youre getting the support you need and deserve.

Ps your youngest son age 42 ? child bride then ..

Belated happy birthday, Robin. I like birthdays too and often wish I was the queen so I could have two each year :)

Hope you had a great birthday Robin!!

Thanks BB, Gee and Janey as you can detect from the photos Rob in did enjoy his Birthday! Looking towards next year now, we are just starting to recover from this one! lol

What about the X***word? Isnt that as good for him as birthdays?

Dont mention it MP very much so, even down to the exact menu as last year and the presents he wants and how many glasses of Red Wine and Brandy he can have! as you might of guessed he has Christmas dinner with us and Simon. and Boxing Day we visit him with a bottle of wine and cheeses1

LOl! He's got it all taped then!
I was working today & the guy I was supporting was planning his tree & lights when I got there! Aaaaaargh!
I'm doing the X Eve sleepover this year! A residential unit for (, but there'll be 5 in the house, & we go out for lunch to a local hotel. I FINISH my shift with a lovely meal, so cant be bad!!

Just think MP of all the looking forward anticipation and actually going out to a hotel1 just one of the crowd !

It's great! This'll be my 5th xmas with them! I'm the only one who doesnt celebrate as such, & I love working with them then, so I usually volunteer to work. Even though I've 'left' & gone on to relief staff, I was asked to do it! (Costs the company more!) So I'm totally looking forward to it! We have a 'do' at my dads the week before, as dad spends xmas in california with my youngest brother.

Well I wish you lots of luck with your Uni degee, it will be hard work but well worth it in the long run, and doing relief work will keep you in touch with the development in services!

May you be showered with blessings, Marie, and PP(Carole?), and Simon for your heart felt compassion and caring. My parents, both teachers, placed such emphasis on intelligence, that I've had a long way to go to realize the value each of us contributes to life here on Earth, regardless of appearances. I think you're very noble, in the best sense.

Thank you Orgratis for your very kind comments.

Sorry PP, I'm a bit late with this but it looks like Simon had a great day. Like the others have said, the smile on his face says it all.

Thanks Irene, he did indeed!

I'm late in wishing Robin a Happy Birthday too Carole, you can see just how much he was enjoying himself amongst you all. I think both you and Madperth are doing a wonderful job. I was Secretary to the Senior Shops Development Manager for SENSE, the Deaf/Blind Charity and I know just how very hard you people work and what compassion and love you have. When I first when to work there, I just could not see that any child or adult who was deaf and blind could have any sort of life, in the darkness and quietness and after a while I realised just what their carers did for them and they most certainly did have a life. I take my hat off to you both.

Aww thanks Pam, sense is a wonderful charity and have been involved with them a number of times as the children I worked with had Severe learning disabilties, it must have been very rewarding for you too.

Thank you Orgratis! Thank you Pamazon!
That's really sweet of you both! I think Carole will agree, the 'career choice' isnt really a conscious choice, more a conscience choice!
I've always been what my (very bigoted) dad calls a 'lame-duck magnet', in that I cant stand to see discrimination or exclusion!
And although I have 'left' my job twice now, I love it so much I'm still there!

Unfortunately my son who has aspergers syndrome (not even diagnosed until he was 20 ) has been let down badly by every 'professional' in the book. Sorry if that sounds bitter, but it's fact.

That's really sad, Sheila! Its awful when the different 'agencies' (for want of a better term) cant get it together to make sure someone gets all the help & support they need! I know I find my job very frustrating at times when things that are obviously needed arent put in place for any of our tenants!
Part of my course is 'collaborative working' & I think it should be mandatory! Its the only way things can get done properly.
I really hope something gets sorted out for him, & I dont blame you for feeling let down, you have been! I'd be mad aas hell, not just bitter!
(Sorry,PP, I'm ranting again!! )

It's Michael that's been let down Marie and all he has achieved has been down to himself. He has done extremely well.

I meant you as a family, although I know it affects Michael most, its hurt & upset you too!
I love my work, but I just hate the 'system'! All that unneccessary red tape!
Good for Michael though! I'm glad he's doing so well! :~))

Thanks Marie.

Silken I too am pleased to hear Micheal is doing so well ! I have only just seen your messages and I can understand your anger at the lack of support from services for Micheal and for you as a family., I too experienced that during Robin's early days, he is 42 now and is at last recieving the appropriate and high level of support networks he needs. The last few years as seen a much greater understanding of Autisim and more suppport systems are being developed. Unfortunately there are still some people with borderline Autism or Asperger syndrome who are still not getting the support they need. Hopefully the future will be much brighter for young children who are newly diagnosed with Autism.

During a potluck over Thanksgiving, I met a stepsister of a 47 yo Asperger man who was jealous of the money and attention her brother got. It was a tragic- comic situation that her stepmother had bought him a condo (while she only rented an apt) when she thought he needed to be in a group home or institution to learn to socialize better as he was hitting people and cars. She was scandalized that he spent so much money taking taxis to mini-markets to get hugs from the clerks. We gently suggested that perhaps his frustration was normal & could be allieved thru hiring a professional woman, but she and the staff of the agency where he worked preferred to spread warnings not to be alone in a car or room with him. She said she told him he was just acting out & knew better, & became incensed when I mentioned that in my very limited experience, this was a disease deserving patience and compassion, not fear, and that perhaps he couldn't control his upsets or outbreaks. Obviously she cared for him, but her sibling rivalry was a revelation...

Yes let's hope so PP and thanks for your comments. I hope Robin continues to do well and be happy, that is the most important thing of all.