Adjustments to this document due to Lachlan’s shift to the cabin are highlighted in red
| 🌟 A Country Man’s (ACM) Strengths |
| ⚠️ Understanding Emotional Regulation |
| 🔑 Keys to Success: Social Interaction |
| 📅 Daily Routine Overview |
| 🛒 Community Access Shifts – What ACM Enjoys |
| 🍽️ Meal Support |
| ✅ What Makes a Good Shift? |
| 📊 Self-Evaluation: Score Your Shift Support Workers! |
| 💡 Quick Tips for Success |
🌟 A Country Man’s Strengths
Navigation Expert
- Knows the local area and streets exceptionally well [though keep in mind the cabin is a relatively new environment, but he enjoys getting to know a local area and being a local]
- Can give support workers directions when driving him places
- Use this strength: Ask him for directions and route suggestions
Conversationalist
- Easy to have conversations with and excellent at keeping conversation going
- Enjoys getting to know people and having meaningful discussions
- Values social interaction highly
⚠️ Understanding Emotional Regulation
Morning Mood Recognition ACM often needs his own space first thing in the morning when he’s still waking up. Signs include:
- Mood shift/change in demeanor
- Not responding or being less responsive
What to do: Give him space for a bit until he’s fully awake. Don’t take it personally – this is a regular pattern, not about you.
🔑 Keys to Success: Social Interaction
Critical Understanding:
ACM requires a HIGH level of social interaction from support workers while at home and on community access shifts.
What This Means:
- ACM really likes support workers to engage with him in conversations
- He enjoys getting to know people and having conversations with others
- ACM feels frustrated and annoyed when support workers do not do this
In Practice:
- Don’t just supervise – actively engage
- Have conversations throughout your shift
- Show genuine interest in getting to know him
- Keep the dialogue flowing
📅 Daily Routine Overview
[hold this loosely – this was based on previous accommodation – will need variance now he is at the cabin]
Morning (6am – 8am)
- Wake up
- Go to the coffee shop every morning
- Support worker does preplanning if ACM still asleep:
- Create “what do I have to do vs what do I want to do today” list
- Think of time allocated to each task
- Check if tasks fit into the day
Day Shift (8am – 2pm)
- ACM will wake up if still asleep
- ACM will get his coffee if he hasn’t already
- Community Access Shift (main focus of the day)
Afternoon/Evening (2pm – 6pm)
- Check what ACM wants for dinner
- Verify he has all ingredients
- Return home – activities like
ping pong, chess, tidy up - Tidying tasks: Washing, drying, mowing, vacuuming, mopping
- Important: ACM is only responsible for cleaning his room; support workers clean all other spaces (common areas)
- Offer help: “Is there anything you want help with?” or “Would you like help with that?”
Evening (6pm onwards)
- 6:45pm – Start cooking dinner (if making a roast, start preparing in the afternoon)
- Take medications at 7:30pm with dinner
- After dinner: Shower, clean his room
- Sleep at 8pm
🛒 Community Access Shifts – What ACM Enjoys
Regular Activities:
- Travelling to the city [currently Lachlan has an aversion to the built up areas. He prefers to travel to quiet, out of the way areas]
- Browsing new areas
- Bushwalking
- Seeing friends
- Grocery shopping
- Buying scratchies
- Going to a lookout
- [And there is a range of renovations and repairs needed at the cabin (as posted on the window. He may enjoy working on some of these.]
Weekly Special:
Tuesday: “Cheap Steak Tuesday” – Lunch anywhere that offers this special
Planning Outings:
When ACM says NO to an outing, try these conversation starters:
- “Can I help you?” → Brainstorm and find common interests
- “What did you do yesterday? Build on that”
- “What’s the next step with your project?”
- Make suggestions based on common interests
Remember: A good outing shares a common interest – not doing chores or helping ACM work toward goals
🍽️ Meal Support
Meals ACM Likes:
- Chicken and pork roast with vegetables
- Spaghetti Bolognese
- Prawns and salad
- Steak and vegetables
- Chicken pie
How ACM Likes Support with Meals:
Shopping:
- Every community access shift, go to shops and buy ingredients for dinner
Preparation:
- ACM likes to start preparing dinner at 6:45pm
- If making chicken and pork roast, he’ll start cooking in the afternoon
Timing:
- ACM is good at choosing and remembering what time to start cooking
- However: If it’s getting late, he might need verbal prompting to remind him to start cooking
During Cooking:
- ACM is good at getting all ingredients out for the meal
- He likes having someone in the kitchen with him to:
- Keep him company
- Remind him what cooking tasks still need finishing when he gets distracted
Medication:
- ACM likes to have his medications at 7:30pm with dinner
Tiredness:
- Some nights ACM gets quite tired and will need more help making dinner
✅ What Makes a Good Shift?
Support workers should focus on:
- Personal care tasks – Helping with daily living activities
- Building life skills – Meal preparation, cooking, cleaning, developing routines
- Actioning behavior support plans – Following any documented strategies
- Developing social skills – Conversation, interaction (FRI/SAT particularly important)
- Supervision, personal safety, and security – Keeping ACM safe
- Medication support – Ensuring medications are taken at 7:30pm
- Medical appointments – Transport and attendance support
- Non-routine community access – Activities that aren’t regular/routine (e.g., attending hydrotherapy sessions, visiting family or friends outside the home)
📊 Self-Evaluation: Score Your Shift Support Workers!
After each shift, honestly assess:
✓ Were you engaging with ACM and had some good conversations with him?
✓ Did you ask the questions in the 🛒 Community Access Shifts – What ACM Enjoys section (highlighted yellow for planning outings)?
✓ Did you help ACM practically today?
Scoring System: A tick for every shift application. How many shifts can we get in a week as a team?
💡 Quick Tips for Success
- Morning: Give space if he seems withdrawn – he’s still waking up
- Throughout day: Maintain conversation and engagement
- Cleaning: Remember the agreement – ACM does his room, you do common areas
- Cooking: Be present in the kitchen as company and gentle reminder
- Community access: Focus on shared interests, not just tasks or goals
- Routine matters: Structure and predictability help ACM thrive
This is a living document based on nearly four years of support experience. When in doubt, engage, communicate, and ask Lachlan what would be helpful.