Robert rocks out at Genesis concert in Glasgow

Robert uses our services in Edinburgh and is a huge Genesis fan. He recently got to live out his dream of seeing the band perform live in concert at Glasgow with Support Worker Simba.

For Robert, Genesis has been a lifelong passion. He grew up with his Dad loving the band, and Robert is just as awed by the music of Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel and other musicians of the progressive rock era.  As part of Robert’s daily routine, he enjoys printing off photos of Genesis and making them into a collage. He also buys the newspaper every day and the Progressive Rock magazine regularly to check for upcoming concert dates.

Robert was delighted to see that Genesis were set to come to Glasgow, and he was determined to make it happen with the support of the team at Autism Initiatives.  Before the concert, Support Worker Simba spoke with Robert about how he wanted the evening to look so that it could be planned around his wishes and he could be made to feel as comfortable as possible. For example, they discussed how they would get there, where they would eat and whether Robert was going to buy any merchandise.

They decided it would be best to drive there, so Simba hired a car and drove himself and Robert to Glasgow. They went for dinner first at McDonalds, which was Robert’s choice. Robert browsed the t-shirts for sale and decided that he’d like to bring home a concert programme booklet as a keepsake from the night instead.  Robert told his friend Laura that he had an amazing night. In fact He and Simba have already made plans to see Steve Hackett in concert in September, who was lead guitarist of Genesis from 1971 to 1977.

Team Leader Michael Opoku said: “When you meet Robert, he’ll ask you if you like Genesis and what concerts you’ve been to.  If you’re not a true fan then he will soon sus you out!  Robert has had his own flat with Autism Initiatives for 3 years now. Before that, he was in shared housing for 10-11 years. Now that Robert has his own flat, the team say that he is more relaxed. He still experiences trauma from living at a shared NHS facility for many years before coming to Autism Initiatives, but the team now have strategies in place for him such as using a daily planner and comic strips to decide how he wants to spend each day.  Robert and Simba have a great relationship. This is the most important aspect to his successful support and it has meant that Simba has got to know Robert really well.  Simba always works around Robert’s needs and his routine, making sure that Robert is supported in the best possible way. The team show flexibility and adaptability in their approach to supporting him each day.”