Hayley’s Story – Ty Hendy

When Hayley arrived at Ty Hendy in February 2014 with her Mum and her Social Worker, she did not know quite what to expect. Her positive attitude to the change proved to make the difference in how quickly she settled into her new home.

Hayley lives with Prader-Willi Syndrome. Individuals who have a diagnosis of Prader-Willi Syndrome can be restricted in their daily life through their insatiable appetites and may experience other complications, such as restricted growth and behavioural problems. People who are living with PWS need expert support from people who understand the condition and its challenges.

On arrival, she was very friendly to both the support team and people she would be living with, ensuring that she was quickly accepted into the close-knit community.

The main challenge facing Hayley was in reducing her weight, but she also had a number of personal goals that she wanted to achieve, which included managing her own personal care and spending more time out and about in the local community.

With these goals in mind, the team at Ty Hendy worked closely with Hayley to develop effective plans that she could measure against her personal plan including the introduction of a calorie-controlled diet.

She has started cooking her evening meals with her staff in her flat and is thoroughly enjoying this.

Hayley has lost a stone in weight since moving to TY Hendy and even though she finds it hard to stick to her healthy eating plan and does slip into having unhealthy options from time to time, she is doing really well overall and working hard to keep motivated and focused on her goals.

The success of her improved diet has quickly shown in her energy levels and motivation to get out and about in the local area. She soon began exploring the local parks and the beach, which in turn developed her desire to work with animals. With the support of her key workers, Hayley contacted a local company regarding and was delighted when she was invited to become a volunteer dog walker, an opportunity that she relishes.

She often goes dog walking and volunteers at Many Tears Kennels, Hayley goes there, and sits with the dogs, trying to get them used to human contact as some of the dogs have been mistreated by people and are scared. However, Hayley’s loving and caring nature is what the dogs’ need, which in turn relaxes her whilst she is with them.

Hayley has struggled from time to time being away from her family but has managed this well. She Face-Times her parents every other day, which she loves. Previously Hayley had found it very upsetting visiting her parents as she didn’t want to leave them, but Hayley has been supported by the team at Ty Hendy to maintain family visits and these are now going really well. This is in no small part down to Hayley’s improved ability to manage her behaviours and emotions.

Hayley is a big part of the culture at Ty Hendy and is very helpful. Every Thursday she writes an article about things which are good at Ty Hendy and things which she doesn’t like and she officially volunteers at Ty Hendy for 2 hours once a week, completing paperwork, filing and answering the phones.

As with many people working towards a healthier way of life, there have been ups and downs along the way, but Hayley’s improved wellbeing is keeping her motivated and she is determined to achieve even more in the coming months and years.