Sachin's Daily Program: An Autistic Man's Journey
Sachin's Daily Program: An Autistic Man's Journey
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Seizure

31/10/2022

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Monday 31st October
Sleep: 7hr7m
Resting: 66bpm
Weather: 18⁰ Cloudy
Risk level: High
Activities:
Toileted: medium output, small output

Arrived for 5pm start. Greeted by Saj in garage.
Greeted Praveena in kitchen. Informed that Sachin
had had a long, but good weekend with not very
good sleep.
Sachin was sat at kitchen table with cup of tea about
to start dinner.
He appeared excited upon arrival and quite vocal.
Moments later at approximately 5:03pm Sachin went
into a seizure. This lasted roughly 10 minutes, from
start to finish.
Saj and Praveena assisted Sachin at table and tried
to keep him stable and from falling over. Whilst I
moved around the house collecting the things
needed, Lavender oil, rolling chair from programs
room and pillows etc. As well as assisting to clear
table.

Saj and Praveena moved Sachin to the games room
chair (to make it easier to get him over to couch)
and put him in a laying down position on the couch
once Sach was stabilised. Immediately post seizure
(once fitbit was put back on) his heart rate was 100+
beats per hour.
The rest of the shift was spent monitoring Sach's
heart rate, and relaxing on the couch watching TV
with Praveena.

Seizure within first 5 mins of arrival, last 5-10 mins.
Elevated heart rate after.
​
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A day for relaxing

27/10/2022

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Thursday 27th October
5-9pm - Keely
Sleep: 4hr51m
Resting HR: 63bpm
Weather: 14° Raining
Risk Level: High
Activities:
Shower, puzzles, relaxing on couch.
Toileted: Small/medium output

Started shift at 5 pm greeted by Sarge and informed
Sach had minimal sleep so it is a high-risk day.
Instructed to watch his heart rate and attempt to
keep him as calm as can as well as to apply
lavender oil every 30 minutes. Sachin was relaxing
on couch when I entered the house conversed with
Praveena about Sach. She took him for a shower.
Around 5:10 got cup of tea organise programs room
and got started. Sac had meds at 6 pm. Lavender oil
had been put around Sach nostrils roughly every
half hour from 5:30 pm onwards.
Sachs heart rate fluctuated above 80 bpm for first
hour of shift. 75 bpm or lower for most of remainder.
100+ beats when toileted (small to

medium output) by Saj around 7 pm.
Good progress was made with Sachins puzzle
tonight around 7:45pm we concluded with the puzzle
for the night. Sach was guided out to lounge room,
where Praveena gave him a head massage. Rest of
shift Sach spent relaxing in lounge room with
Praveena overall, a relatively good and engaging
shift with Sach.
​
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Teamwork

26/10/2022

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​Wednesday 26th October
5-9pm - Keely
Sleep: 8hr51m
Resting HR: 63bpm
Weather: 17° Cloudy
Risk Level: Medium
Activities:
Toileted: Medium output
 
Started shift @ 5pm, greeted by Saj. Led inside, where Sachin was relaxing on couch. Saj took Sach to use the toilet - no output. He then boiled the kettle to prepare tea. Once done - proceeded to programs room. No walk today as Sach had been a bit wobbly on his feet. Set up programs room as Sach started on puzzle. Saj gave meds at 6pm.
Sachin and I made good progress with the puzzle, was allowing/insisting I place almost every puzzle piece. Very vocal for majority of time spent doing puzzle. Became stuck 2x times requiring Sajs assistance. We completed two rows. At roughly 7pm Sai toileted Sach (medium output).
We finished up in the programs room at roughly 8pm. Sach was assisted to lounge room couch by 
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Unsteady sach

25/10/2022

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Support worker:- James.
Seizure risk level:- Risk level- Medium
Previous night Sleep:- 7:22 hours of sleep.
Resting heart rate:- 64 resting bpm.
Shift times :- 1700 hrs to 2100 hrs.
ACTIVITIES.
Jigsaw.
Drive
Walk
 
WEATHER:
20° overcast rain day, patches of sun.
 
NOTES:
Sachin was inside his house when I arrived for shift, he was finishing off his pot of tea. Sachin was assisted to brush his teeth, after I did the bulk Sachin had a play brushing his own teeth.
Sachin used the toilet, large urine content produced. Sachin’s Father informed me Sachin has been very unsteady on his feet today and to be mindful of this and watch him. I assisted Sachin put on his shoes and we went for a short casual walk in the street just out front of his home, Sachin was unsteady, we went slow and steady, no problems.
Sachin's behaviour through out shift was very good, he was well behaved and did not require much prompting to complete tasks. He appeared content and easy going.
After our walk we made cups of tea, as usual Sachin assisted me by gathering the tea bags and milk, I poured the hot water, we then went to programs room and got stuck into Jigsaw puzzle. Sachin was well focused and put a lot of pieces in, he did require some prompting to stay focused towards the end of our time in there.
Sachin and I packed up at 1930 hours and then used the toilet one last time , medium urine content produced. After that Sachin took his seat on the couch and watched medium with his mother.
 
Shift finished at 2100 hours.
​


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Tired & Flustered

20/10/2022

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Thursday 20 October 
5-9pm - Keely. 
Sleep: 13hr39m
Resting HR: 65bpm
Weather: 25⁰ Cloudy 
Risk Level: Minimal
Activities:
Praveena had Sachin in having a shave (upon shift commencement)
No walk (upon Saj request)
Had dinner at approx 5:20pm
Staff (Keely) set up programs room while waiting
Assisted Sach with puzzle 
Toileted - small output 
Sach relaxed on couch and watched TV with Praveena

Arrived at Sachins at approx 5pm. I was greeted by Saj. We conversed for a little while. Saj went to check in on Sach & Praveena. He came back out to the living area and informed me that Sachin had fallen over upon finishing the shaving process with Praveena. Sachin was assisted to the table for dinner - he ate at approx 5:20pm. When finished I waited with Sach and Praveena for Saj to assist Sachin to the programs room. I also set up the programs room while I waited. 
I checked the iPad for Sach's sleep and resting bPm. At 6pm Sachin had his meds. Saj decided no walk today.
I proceeded with assisting with his puzzle, we struggled for quite some time with finding a piece. Saj soon after came in to assist us & successfully finished the row we were stuck on. Sachin & I made good progress with the puzzle from there. We continued until approx 7:45pm. Saj then came in & helped Sach to the toilet - small output. 
Saj then brought him out to sit on the couch in the loungeroom to watch TV with Praveena. 
Rest of shift spent with family, conversing & etc. Continued monitoring/keep an eye on Sachin for remainder of shift. 
His heart rate remained relatively steady for the duration of the shift. Between 80-96bPm
Saj mentioned during shift that determining Sach's risk level is quite difficult at the moment. As the system has sort of been thrown out of whack with recent events
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Calm and smiling

13/10/2022

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Support worker Steve  Risk Medium

8 hrs 21 minutes sleep 65 rhr

Weather 19° Overcast 

Activities:
No walk tonight due to poor weather, Toileted, brushed teeth, program room to work on his puzzle

Progress Notes:
Arrived just on 5pm to start shift with Sachin who was still finishing off his dinner so had a quick chat with Saj then took Sachin to the toilet with only a small output, we then headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth once done we grabbed our cups of tea and went into the program room to start work on his puzzle difuzer put on and applied some Lavender oil inside his nostrils and had soft music playing in the background Sachin was making great progress but then all of a sudden stopped and when I looked over Sachin had puzzle pieces already waiting and wanted me to pop them in for him and again had to make the right sound this continued on for about an hour 6pm medication was given by Saj then back to work on puzzle lots of vocalising and smiling we eventually finished up at 7.30pm and made our way out to the lounge, Toileted again at 7.30pm large output, washed his hands and into the lounge to relax on the couch with Preveena and monitored till shift end at 9pm.
​
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Really Happy Sachin

11/10/2022

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Arrived at approx 17:00pm, clocked in, walked in through the side gate and was met with Saj. He was surprised to see me, another support worker was rostered on but Saj wasn’t notified about this change, a nice surprise! Saj informed me that today was a high risk day for Sachin, he only had 6hrs + 13mins sleep. While standing in the back undercover area, I could hear Sachin laughing hysterically and making lots of happy noises. A sign he was in a happy mood! I walking inside and said hello, gave Sachin a fist pump and sat with him at the table. He had such a big happy smile on his face, it was contagious! He finished his tea then organised his tea pot and wiped the pot with a tea towel. Laughing and making happy noises while doing so. I then encouraged Sachin to sit in the lounge room, I fully assisted putting on his ankle brace (left foot), then waking shoes. Tied up and good to go. We only had a short walk this afternoon due to today being high risk day. Saj waited in the driveway to keep an eye on us both. He was a little bit unbalanced and wobbly on his feet but was eager to walk. We went halfway down the street and back again. We were going to continue to walk but Sachin seemed keen to get home. Arrived home after approx 2.5 mins. Walked inside, fully assured taking off his waking shoes and ankle brace, slippers back on the too the toilet. Sachin has NO urine output. Next I fully assisted brushing Sachins teeth, then he rinsed x5 times with water, still laughing and smiling. Then Sachin went straight to the programs room, obviously very keen!! I reminded him that we needed our cups of tea, I encouraged him to come with me too the kitchen and get our cuppas, he did so but then went straight to the toilet. He produced LOW urine output. We then got our cuppas and then went back into programs room. I asked Sachin to turn in his lamp which he did, I turned on stereo and defuser. The defuser needed some more water so I filled it (to marked line) with water. Sachin waited and watched me while I did so. Then we sat together. I took a progression picture of his puzzle at the start. We did the puzzle together, helping find pieces however he allowed me to place each piece in its designated spot! Have to make sure it makes the right “clicking” sound otherwise we try again and again. He sometimes laughs if I don’t do it properly. We completed 1.5 lines of the puzzle. Saj administered Sachins medication at approx 18:00pm. We enjoyed our time together, he was very vocal! I took a picture once we were finished at approx 19:45pm. Sachin turned off his lamp, I turned off the defuser and stereo. We then made our way into the lounge room. Sachin was still laughing and I’m a really good happy mood. He sat with on the couch next too Praveena with his blanket and iPad. Saj made him another cup of tea and he sat and watched the tv, making happy “te-ka” noises. I sat and ate an amazing meal, cleaned my dishes and sat with Praveena and Sach. Had really nice conversations and shared stories. I said goodbye, clocked off and left at approx 21:00pm
​

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Walking In The Rain

7/10/2022

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​Arrived at approx 17:00pm, clocked in and walked around the side gate and let myself in. I was met with Praveena, had a catch up conversation (hadn’t been here in since week before last). Sach was sitting at the dining table finishing off his dinner. He seemed happy. After dinner he put his plate on the bench and made some happy noises. He finished his tea at the table then next I prompted Sachin to use the toilet (I turned on the tap to prompt him to use the toilet) he produced no urine output. Then I fully assisted brushing his teeth, x5 rinses with water then he wiped his mouth. Next I asked him to sit on the couch so I could change him into his waking shoes. He did so. I fully assisted taking off his slippers, putting on his ankle brace and waking shoes on. Once complete, Sachin seems hesitant to want to go for a walk. It started to rain lightly. He put his fingers into his ears and head down. He was a little bit wobbly on his feet but okay otherwise. Saj prompted him then he was keen to go for a quick walk. We both got an umbrella and I let Sachin lead the way. As we started to walk the rain got slightly heavier (only medium sun shower). I spoke to his the whole walk, mentioning the birds, the rain and that it was mums birthday tomorrow (yay!) He kept closing his eye while walking, maybe a sign he doesn’t like the rain today? We usually stop at the end of Cambridge then turn around (Sachin usually knows when to turn back and head home). He was really keen to keep waking this evening, so we did so, we went about another 100m up the street. He continued to close his eyes while waking but seemed to enjoy the outing. We started to head back in the rain, I continued to talk to Sach about the weather and the sorts. We arrived home, saj was waiting for us (to make sure we were okay in the rain), sachin didn’t want to hold his umbrella so I held for the both of us. Arrived home, changed the routine slightly and changed his walking shoes into slippers in the garage to eliminate the tiles getting wet and risk of falling. After that I put his shoes away, I put hot water into our teas then into programs room. I turned on the stereo, defuser and lamp. Sachin got stuck right into his puzzle, I took a picture to track his progress. Prompted him to drink his tea which he did. Suddenly Sachin kept touching his left arm. I felt it and his jumper had got wet from our walk. I informed Saj and he’d sort out getting a dry jumper. Sachin then sat with his fingers in his ears, head down with a frown, he really didn’t like being wet. Preveena then got Sachin changed and sat him on the toilet, low-no urine output. He was now dried and dressed and back for programs. During this time I sat and ate a lovely meal which Saj watched Sachin. After my dinner I joined Sachin again. I applied lavender oil x3 times while in programs room. This section of the puzzle was a bit difficult. Saj turned the puzzle around so it was now facing the correct way. The three of us struggled with this part. Sachin was getting slightly frustrated and kept looking away from the puzzle. I helped him as much as he allowed me. Once we got the rhythm, we finished the line of the puzzle, he allowed me to put them in place, waiting for me to “click” then in correctly. Sachin was farting a lot this evening, three big ones total. Finished one line, he seemed like he was satisfied with the one line so we packed up, I printed Sachin to turn off his lamp, I tuned off stereo, defuser and light. We then walked into the kitchen, Sachin put his tea bags into the bin then saj took him to the toilet. Medium urine output this time. We then sat in the lounge together, chatted and watched a film. Sachin did his laundry routine with saj then snuggled back in under his blanket. I said goodbye and left at approx 20:05pm
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    Author

    Sajit Verma.
    Running a 5 years tertiary program for his son, Sachin, who has severe autism.
    Other collaborators:
    Jarrett Polkinghorne(support worker),
    James Knock​(support worker)
    ​

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