Mason

Mason, who lives with autism, was slowly introduced to the Bush Retreat prior to his first stay. Bush Retreat Team Leader, Tiana Liddel, explains:

“Mason started with driving past the house, with his Community support worker pointing it out to him on his way to his regular activities.

“After doing this a couple of times they stopped and knocked on the door just to say hello. Mason then progressed to coming inside the house, walking around and greeting staff and guests. We eventually got Mason to sit and have a drink, and then come to visit after his regular daily activities to spend some time and have dinner with us, before going home in the evening.”

This gentle introduction to the house happened twice a week for about eight weeks, before the Bush Retreat team trialed an overnight stay for Mason.

“Mason went really well throughout this transition and handled it amazingly,” says Tiana.

“We then made a regular booking of one night per week for a few weeks before he enjoyed a long stay of 10 nights.”

The team’s aim with Mason’s initial visits was consistency. Rocky Bay’s Community team ensured it was a regular support worker bringing Mason to the house each time, and Bush Retreat staff ensured consistency in the staff members present during his visits.

“I think this helped the process along greatly, as Mason was able to build a level of familiarity and trust with the new staff he was seeing,” says Tiana.

Brett agrees, and was thrilled with the support that Mason received from the team.

“The team are great at Bush Retreat. They all know Mason and he gets along well with everyone there – staff and guests.

“He loves that he can plan his days and nights the way he wants to do it, and the staff at the Bush Retreat support him in doing so.”