I am the wife of MH. M is currently in STEPS rehabilitation centre in Sheffield. I would like to take this opportunity to praise steps for the extremely high standard of care they give to M.
Since the first day he got there they catered for his religious and cultural beliefs. M is a devout Muslim and STEPS made sure that he didn’t lose that part of his identity. They ensured this by putting M’s prayers on for him, ensuring the meat that was sourced for him was halal, that he was reminded of prayer times throughout the day and encouraged to pray. On numerous occasions when we have visited M at various times in the day they had already put on his prayers for him and some religious lectures without us initiating that.
STEPS is patient focused and at the same time looks after the family unit needs. It encourages the family to be part of the rehabilitation programme. It does this by inviting families to sleep over at the premises so as to help maintain the family bond. It makes sure the family are an integral part of the rehabilitation process through games, outings, encouraging families to eat together to name but a few.
STEPS is the most welcoming place I have been in since M had his accident. The staff make the patients family feel at ease. I genuinely feel at peace with M being there. I feel no guilt as I know they have his best interests at heart and they treat him with respect and care for him to a very high standard. A standard that I doubt I will ever get when M comes back home.
The staff members have become part of the family so much so that the children are now asking for certain members to come along with M when he makes his home visits. During the home visits again staff show utmost respect to the family and the cultural differences we have. During the month of Ramadan the staff joined us for the opening of some fasts when they came for home visits and researched about Ramadan before they came. Gestures like this are so beautiful, kind and heart-warming.
M’s love for cricket was incorporated into his rehabilitation programme by taking him to local cricket matches along with his son.
Staff are at hand 24 hours of the day. Even if M wakes in the middle of the night the staff are there to talk to him and use that time constructively to enhance his rehabilitation even if it means making short videos for his children where by he gives them words of encouragement.
I can’t praise highly enough the work of STEPS and wish them all the luck for the future because they deserve it. Family and friends have praised all the workers who they have met always highlighting the manner in which they speak to M and they way they look after him, constantly looking for those windows of opportunity when M is alert to use them constructively for his rehabilitation.
On numerous occasions my family have commented on how the staff interact with M and that we need to learn from them as they treat him as an individual who still has the right to determine what he wants to do. They always ask M what he wants to do as opposed to asking me.
If I could I would steal the staff and have them look after M and his needs when he finally comes back home.