Mary is taking control of her wellbeing

Mary has been supported by mirus for 16 years and at 73 years old, she decided that she wanted to take control of her wellbeing by having more choice in what activities she does, and extra time at home to relax. 

At first, Mary was anxious about the thought of reducing the time she spent at the Day Centre and worried that people might think she was lazy. That changed when she found out that her Day Centre Keyworker, Bethan also planned to retire soon too. 

Bethan talked to Mary about how retiring would give her more time to spend with her family, and Mary realised that she too would have more time to see her niece and extended family. Hearing this, Mary spoke to her mirus support staff, and together with her family and circle of support they decided to increase Mary’s at-home support so that she could spend less time at the Day Centre.

Mary loves having more flexibility and control over what she does, and loves working with mirus staff to plan activities that she wants to do. 

They always make sure that her plans include plenty of relaxation time, and she loves to end the day watching a good film from the comfort of her reclining chair. 

Mary now has time to catch up with old friends, including previous Day Centre support staff member, Lesley. The more time they spend with each other, the closer their friendship has become, and Lesley now supports Mary to play piano at the museum every Thursday – an activity that they both really enjoy.

mirus staff said:

“Mary is enjoying having a slower but consistent new routine. She likes having a less stressful morning, and can now get up and ready for the day at a more leisurely pace and has time to listen to her favourite radio shows.” 

Not attending the Day Centre every day has given Mary more time to look after her physical health too. She has learned how to prepare healthy home cooked meals and has become involved with physical activities in her local community. She now regularly attends a local Zumba class and swims at the community pool, which has resulted in steady weight loss for Mary. 

Mary has also found a new love for looking after herself and often gets her nails done at a salon. She enjoys it so much that she treated herself to a relaxing spa holiday in Aberdovey! 

Mary is already planning another holiday, and can’t wait to relax and be pampered.