Lights, Camera, Abacus!
Some names have been changed to maintain privacy.
Back in 2019, when Abacus Care and Support began its journey as a supported living provider, we could not have predicted just how far our journey of kindness, care and compassion would take us. Today, still guided by our determination to provide ‘care you can count on’, we feel a strong sense of internal pride over the past seven years of delivering consistent, person-centred support to the people we support.
Abacus has consistently seen how high-quality frontline care enables the people we support to live their lives to the fullest, with independence, joy and dignity. We’ve also transformed living standards by ensuring accommodation is tailored to individual needs.
A staff member sits at a desk in front of Abacus branded bunting.
While everyone at Abacus understands the important of this work, we recognised that we could do more to show the wider world what life at Abacus truly looks like. As we continue to grow and support more people, we knew we needed a meaningful way to share our story and the committed care that runs throughout our organisation.
To help bring this vision to life, staff, family members and people we support took part in an exciting filming project. The aim was to capture honest, everyday moments, like the small routines and personal interests that make each person’s life unique.
Reflecting on the decision, Amy, who led the project, shared:
“What we do at Abacus is really special, and the incredible job Our Care Team does is worth shouting about! From planning to completion, our key focus was to give people a real sense of just how special the people and service at the heart of Abacus are.”
The filming took place over two days, across different services where we support individuals. Our focus was on capturing important moments for the people we support: enjoying hobbies, preparing meals, managing their household.
On both days, we were even lucky enough to be accompanied by bright blue skies and sunshine! This allowed us to capture one of Ben’s* favourite activities: playing basketball outside in his garden. Outdoor spaces play an important role in supporting mental wellbeing. Ben also kindly showed the team his sensory room, an area with LED lighting and therapeutic sounds, offering him and his housemate a place to retreat and relax.
Elsewhere, Lily* shared her love of spending time in the garden, demonstrating her favourite activity: swinging on the swing set and enjoying the shared garden.
Of course, we also got a visual insight into the hard work (and fun!) our staff bring to their roles. By opening a window into daily life at Abacus, the filming highlighted how, from frontline staff to wider office team, we all play a vital role in delivering the highest standard of care.
A woman with Down Syndrome is smiling on a sofa.
It’s an honour to authentically show what everyday life looks like and the care that underpins it. Now that we have a suite of new content that reflects the people at the heart of Abacus, we are really excited to begin sharing it with commissioners, families and individuals who may be considering support by us. We also hope the behind-the-scenes footage captured offers a genuine insight into our values of care, compassion and collaboration.
The filming has also given us a renewed sense of internal pride, a chance to pause and recognise the incredible work happening across our services every day. As always, we remain committed to finding new and creative ways to share our journey, our plans, and the people at the heart of Abacus as we continue to grow.
*Some names have been changed to maintain privacy.