Aimee's story:
"Hi, my names Aimee, I'm 23. I’ve struggled with anorexia for 10 years now.
I’ve been admitted 8 times to different hospitals around Scotland. I’ve found things hard throughout my life that weren’t picked up on for a long time. I was good at masking. But I felt I never fitted in and I felt there was always something wrong about me.
When I was 20, I was diagnosed with autism and the world and my whole life started to make a bit more sense with my struggles.
I’m currently in Aberdeen hospital for my eating disorder and I struggle with self harm a lot too. I’ve been here 21 months now. I’ve been told I’m not well enough for therapy the whole time, and I’m struggling a lot.
My home and my family are only 45 minutes away, and even though my visits were restricted, they were close by. And could visit on the times they were allowed. I’ve struggled with self harm for a long time. But I’ve done a lot of damage through head banging and therefore I now have been diagnosed with FND (functional neurological disorder), this has led me being unable to walk, seizures and fainting and a lot more.
The staff here have been so kind to me, and I’ve built up a trust, which for me, from past trauma causing me to not talk to anyone I don’t know.
This is a huge deal for me.
The hospital want to move me to another hospital 10 hours away from my family and friends. We have faced two tribunals already which caused me and my family far too much stress and made things worse.
However we won both tribunals.
We are now facing going to sheriff court very soon.
It’s exhausting.
All we want is for me to finally be at home with my family and my safe place.
But we have no care in the community to support me and my family and they are rightly concerned after what they’ve had to go through with my illness for so long.
Please help me stay with my family and aid with care and transition into the community so we can finally be together again and manage to cope with my illnesses in a safe way.
Any help means the world to me."
We at Autistic Inclusive Meets were contacted by Aimee's father for help, and sent this letter below in support of Aimee's bid to stay at her current location. The letter was submitted to the second tribunal and helped the family win:
24/10/2024
Dear Paul Geddes,
I am writing to you from Autistic Inclusive Meets, an Autistic led organisation in SE London in
support of your daughter Aimee Geddes DOB 24/05/2001.
Aimed is currently diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa, EUPD, Autism, FND.
Aimee currently resides in the Eden Unit, Cornhill Hospital, Aberdeen. This has enabled yourself and your family to visit Aimee three times a week, including being able to take her out for a coffee on Sundays.
This is much needed social contact and emotional support; it brings a sense of normality and will be helping Aimee to regulate as she will feel safe as she has a predictable routine in place.
The intended move to Ellern Mede Hospital, Barnet, London will be extremely traumatic to Aimee's mental health.
It will effectively cut her off from regular visits from her family and
leave her feeling isolated.
This will not only prove detrimental to her current mental state, it will also be catastrophic to her physical health as well.
At the moment Aimee is in a place where she has bonded with staff, she is comfortable and has the knowledge that on certain days, certain things will happen, this to an autistic person is of paramount importance as a predictable routine is extremely important for a feeling of security.
Aimee right now knows the layout of the building, she knows the travel routes it would take for her to get home, if need be, and the way to the coffee shop.
To take her away from all that she knows is nonsensical, and the upheaval for her knowing that yourself and her family are now a plane ride away will cause her unconscionable harm.
I suggest the therapies/ treatment that would be implemented at the Ellern Mede Hospital be brought into the Eden Unit, from outside agencies if need be.
Thank you,
Emma Dalmayne.
****************************************
As you can see it would be counter productive to move Aimee away from her family. It would be in her best interests to be given the support required to transition back into her family home and be given care in the community.
Please sign our open letter to appeal for Aimee to be given support to transition to care in the community with her family here:
Comments