Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi...
I have recently been diagnosed and I am 52. I now understand myself and the way I am I have been in a couple of long term abusive relationships and I left with help and brought my girls up. My girls have been at home they help me remember to eat wash go out and not to get distracted. I am hopeless with money and now they ard leaving I'm not sure how I'll cope living alone. Any advice please...I'm looking at supported housing as an option.
Hi and welcome to the forum.
Thinking about coping on your own, I think I would consider a couple of things.
I think the first thing I would recommend would be to access a Social Prescriber from your GP. I was looking for a link to post about them, in case you've not heard about them before. But couldn't really find anything! The one at my surgery is really helpful with practical advice and support and also can give advice of where to access other services.
The second would be to get as much mental health support as possible to prepare for being on your own. I believe that if I am in a better place psychologically, then I can cope with other things better.
Supported housing is certainly an option. I need my own space a lot, so probably would not be something I would go for yet. But good that you are looking into everything.
Best wishes. xx
Hi - congratulations on your diagnosis and welcome to the community!
It's great to hear that you're already feeling some benefit from your diagnosis.
The NAS has a great set of articles focused around diagnosis, including one covering how you might feel during the subsequent days / weeks / months, and one covering sources of support - you might find them, along with others in the diagnosis hub, helpful:
NAS - How you might feel after a diagnosis
NAS - Formal support following an autism diagnosis