Eddie - My Story

2 - Eddie Malek - This is my story

My name is Edward, this is my story. My name is Edward but I prefer Eddie. Since I was 21 years old, I have lived in care. I spent 40 years in a long stay hospital called St. Margaret’s and then a further 10 years at Oak Road, an NHS campus. I do not communicate verbally, but use other ways to let people know my likes, dislikes and how I am feeling.

Two years ago I moved to my own bungalow in West Bromwich because all of the NHS campuses closed, including Oak Road. This was a big move for me as I am now 75 years old and it’s the first time in my life I am living independently. Many people would have thought it was best to leave me where I was at my age, that the move would be too much but I am living proof that you are never too old!

This is my story.


My Home

I live in my own bungalow on a busy main road near West Bromwich. Although it is a busy street, it is very quiet inside my house. I like peace and quiet.

When I moved in my staff supported me to choose all my new furniture. At first I kept walking around and picking things up to show people. Staff thought I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to, but they kept telling me it was my home and the ornaments and pictures were my things. It took me a week to settle down and get used to my bungalow, but that’s not long at all. By the second week, I was relaxed and will now sit and watch the television. I now have a big fish tank next to my sofa. I love to watch the fish; it really relaxes me.

My social worker couldn’t believe it when they came to see me the second week I moved in and saw me sitting down and relaxing. Before I moved I was always walking and pacing around.


My Friends and Family

My family are very important to me and I have lots of photos of me with them all around my home.

I live close to my brother, sister-in-law and nephew. They pop in to see me quite regularly and I can also go to see them. I also have nieces and grand nieces who come to see me. When my family comes round it makes me smile.

My family was a little worried at first that I would be isolated and not used to having lots of people around me. They needn’t have worried, as I love it here! I have my friends living in the bungalows next to me and I can visit them or they can come to me.

My brother couldn’t believe how much I had changed after I moved into my own home. I laugh a lot now and am always smiling.


I have an activity planner to plan and keep track of all the places I like to go. I used to go to a disco in Bilston, but now I am a little older I prefer more relaxing and quieter activities, as I am not keen on crowded places. I like to stick to a routine, especially with my weekly shopping. Every fortnight I go to the sensory room at the Portway Leisure Centre, where I like to relax.

A few weeks back, I went on the Severn Valley Railway. I really enjoyed this, watching the world go by out the window. I have planned to do this again, but this time we are going to stop off in Bridgenorth and have lunch. I like to spend time at home at the moment, watching old western films or looking at my fish. Last year I went on a four-day holiday to Barmouth in Wales. I really enjoyed it there; I went on the coastal trains and to the beach.

I like to go out for pub lunches. My staff have had to support me with my eating because where I used to live, the other people would take my food if I didn’t eat it quickly, so my staff have helped me to eat in a slower and steadier way. I also sit down for longer to eat meals. Before I moved here, I would take a bite out of something and then get up and walk about and keep on doing this throughout the meal. I have stopped doing this in my new home.


When I am eating at home, I am shown the food before it is cooked. People are always talking to me too and telling me what is happening and offering me choices. I love jaffa cakes so my staff make sure I always have them in the house. This is very different from not having a choice and eating the same meal at the same time as the rest of the people I lived with.

Sometimes I don’t want to go out, especially if it is windy and will sit down on my sofa and fold my arms. I have also started to shake my head and mumble to indicate ‘no’. My staff are really pleased that I have started to show different ways of saying no. They said it is my choice to go out or not, but they always encourage me and make sure I do go out as much as possible, even if it’s just for a drive.


The people who support me

I’m getting on really well with my staff and they make me smile. I feel that they really understand me and how I communicate. I have developed new ways of communicating such as expressing if I don’t want to do something or putting my thumb up if I like something. My staff always work around me and my needs. I am not a morning person so if I do not have to get up, I will have a nice lie in. I will let them know if I want my own space and time on my own and this is respected.

I have support to do the things that make me happy. This is a first for me as everything I did previously was based around the staff supporting lots of people at once. I have at least one to one support here.

I have regular staff; not having strangers in the house helps to make me happy. This happened a lot in the places where I used to live. There would be lots of different staff, including temporary and bank staff.


To Sum Up

I am more peaceful now I have my own space. When I was in hospital I had to do what other people did and sometimes the other residents could be very loud. This used to frustrate me. I am really happy here and content now I have my own home and choices.

This way of living really suits me. I have choices, I have privacy and I have peace.

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Eddie - My Story