How FitzRoy The Maltings in Fakenham changed 23-year-old Andre Yarham’s life after dementia left him unable to speak

We have all heard of Christmas miracles and perhaps wondered if they are real but for this family, they certainly are thanks to a disability service.

The Maltings, a day centre in Fakenham run by the charity FitzRoy, supports 47 people with disabilities as well as their families, whether that is with activities, socialising or one-to-ones.

But for Andre Yarham, a 23-year-old who was left mute after his diagnosis of dementia a little more than a year ago, it has given him his voice back.

‘My world just fell apart’

Sam Fairbairn, Andre’s mum, started noticing a change in her son’s behaviour when he began to talk less, lost interest in certain things and no longer wanted to go to work.

She decided to take him to a specialist where she was initially told that he had autism.

“It explained a lot, especially through Andre’s childhood because he was a little bit of a cheeky thing sometimes and he had his problems, but there was still something not quite right,” she said.

Sam then took him to the doctors again where he had an MRI which revealed he had frontal atrophy - a condition which causes the front and sides of the brain to shrink - and the family was told he had dementia.

“To be sitting in a consultant’s office and for them to say they thought they were looking at the scan of a 70-year-old with dementia and they were talking about my son - I can’t describe how I felt, my world just fell apart.”

Since the diagnosis, Sam has had to give up work to become her son’s full-time carer.

“He’s gone from working at Lotus, headlining cars to having to have one-to-one support at his day centre and at home, and needing help to prepare food and drink, help with personal care and has lost the ability to talk.”

How The Maltings ‘transformed’ Andre’s life

When Sam first started taking Andre to the day centre on Hall Staithe she said it was like he had a “big family” and that it was nice that both herself and her husband Alastair could be included in that too.

However, one of the people who has made the biggest change to their lives is deputy manager Toby Sutherland.

“Andre came to us and in the first few weeks we made really good ground getting a sense of who he is, what his likes are and what activities we can pack into his day to really maximise that for him,” he said.

But soon his condition took a turn when his ability to communicate was “stripped” from him over the space of just a few weeks.

“It’s always been a bit of a tug of war with a condition like Andre’s because we would go one step forward and the condition would knock us two steps back.”

Toby became determined to find a solution for the 23-year-old and spent time doing research, taking trips to London and having conference meetings to find the perfect one.

That was until they eventually came across a communication tablet.

“We really wanted Andre to communicate in a way that he recognised,” he added.

A lot of what was already on the market was aimed at young children and the charity struggled to find something perfect for Andre, but finally, the right product came to light and The Maltings was able to work with the creators to make it more personalised.

Toby applied to FitzRoy’s Above and Beyond Fund, a pot which relies on donations to provide extras to those the organisation supports, in order to secure the money for the equipment.

Had this funding not been approved, the technology could have pushed the thousand-pound mark.

What does the tablet do?

The iPad-style device, which has a shock and water-proof case, features a range of buttons to help Andre to talk.

When he clicks them, a voice plays from the speaker.

It includes options such as meal choices, greetings, activities, wants or needs and even things down to wishing someone a Merry Christmas, which the staff have said he has had lots of fun walking around and pressing recently.

But perhaps his mum’s favourite feature is the ‘I love you’ button which “means the world” to her.

“Just to see Andre interacting and being able to say what he wanted to eat or drink or what he wants to do, is just amazing,” Sam added.

And it’s not just Sam who has seen the results - everyone at the centre has noticed how much it has changed Andre’s life.

Toby said: “Within hours of him having it he was making food choices, which was a massive breakthrough for us because something so simple as making a food choice you just take for granted.”

FitzRoy’s Christmas campaign

Andre has now been selected by the UK-wide organisation, which helps more than 900 people, as the face of its annual Christmas campaign.

The funds raised from the initiative go towards helping more individuals like him have their lives significantly improved.

“I’m so proud of him, I really am,” Sam said.

“It’s so nice to see that the normal cheeky Andre is still in there.”

Thanks to the work of the team in Fakenham, dozens of people can receive support, take part in a variety of activities, and reach their potential.

“The Maltings are amazing from the managers, support team and all the other staff,” Sam added.

“I just hope that people, however small, can donate and help other families and help FitzRoy to do what they do, it would just mean the world.”

Those wanting to donate to FitzRoy’s annual campaign can find the fundraising page here, alongside more information about the organisation.

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