When we first met Kevin
When Kev first came to Shared Lives, he was struggling to live a full, independent life, with constant hospital stays. ‘Before Shared Lives, I was a total mess’, he says.
Kev's alcohol dependency had taken over his daily life and he found himself stuck in the revolving door of hospital admissions. No sooner had he been discharged from hospital, he was back in A&E again. His relationships around him were suffering and he was really struggling to see a way forward.
Taking the first steps
A social worker referred Kev to our PSS Shared Lives: Home From Hospital service, where he stayed with a Shared Lives carer for six weeks, following a hospital stay. It became clear before the end of Kevin’s six-week stay that he’d continue to thrive if he stayed in Shared Lives for the longer-term.
We worked with his PSS Shared Lives: Home From Hospital carers to find a Shared Lives carer who could support Kev for a while longer, so that he could kick the habit forever.
We matched Kev up with Paul, who was a wonderful match for him. Together, they got to work putting Kev in touch with local community support groups that would go on to give him the strength he needed to change things around for himself. After a lot of support and commitment to his future, Kevin hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol for the last eight years.
What Kevin wants you to know about PSS
Giving back
A few years ago, Kevin joined the PSS team as a volunteer, helping welcome people into our head office in Liverpool, and doing quality checks on our services. He uses his oodles of empathy, warmth and Scouse humour to make people feel right at home. 'I want to help PSS as much as they've helped me', he says.