Autism Anglia Trustee on Good Morning Britain

Autism Anglia Trustee Janet Barker contacted Susanna Reid on ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

Susanna read out some of Janet’s words that highlighted the excellent care her son is receiving from Autism Anglia but also, very importantly highlighted one of the many issues lockdown has created for younger people in care nationwide.

Janet was inspired to contact Susanna through Instagram when she read a story in the news about young adults with learning disabilities being at a higher risk of serious consequences of Covid.

Carers at Autism Anglia have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to ensure the risk is kept at a minimum.

The team that looks after adults with autism understand the importance of keeping a routine for their residents and also to enable the people they support to stay in regular contact with their families, both face to face or through online calls.

However, each person’s circumstances are different and for Janet, this has not been possible. Her son Lawrence is non-verbal and is not able to understand what is happening in the world at present. The changes to his routine, not being able to visit family at weekends has caused confusion and upset.

Pictured: Lawrence Barker

This upset is heightened when they try and make contact through other means. Instead, Janet has relied on daily calls with his carers to keep updated on how he is and how his day has been.

Janet was very pleased when Susanna replied to her and asked her further questions to be able to speak about the challenges faced by young adults in care. Often the media has focused on the elderly in care.

Susanna Reid, speaking with Dr Hilary on Good Morning Britain this morning reinforced the message of how difficult is for families facing these additional challenges.

Janet was keen for Susanna to also mention the care Lawrence receives from the team at Autism Anglia is excellent and commends their work.

If you missed it, you can watch this morning’s episode of Good Morning Britain on ITV HUB, the discussion begins at approx. 20 mins from the start.