Geneva and Toby are a remarkable sister and brother living with complex, life-limiting conditions. With Apollo Home Healthcare’s bespoke nurse-led complex care, they’re thriving safely at home, surrounded by love, expert support, and the comfort of family life.
Sister and brother, Geneva and Toby, were both born with a rare genetic condition that has resulted in life-limiting and complex healthcare needs. The specialist complex care at home we provide for them, alongside their wider family, helps make life easier for their loving grandparents, giving them precious family time together and enabling both siblings to thrive safely in their own home.
Geneva and Toby are remarkable siblings who share a rare genetic condition called Microcephaly. This means their heads are smaller than average, a result of the brain not developing in the usual way during pregnancy or early childhood. Because of this, both Geneva and Toby experience a range of challenges, including seizures, difficulties with movement, and being unable to communicate verbally. They also have Global Developmental Delay, which means they need support with all aspects of communication and their day-to-day activities.
While their condition brings daily challenges, it certainly doesn’t define them. Geneva and Toby each have their own beautiful personalities and unique ways of connecting with the people around them. Whether it’s through a smile, a sound, or a gesture, they have a special way of letting you know exactly how they feel.
Today, they live at home with their devoted grandparents and their much-loved family dog, Coco, in a specially adapted annex. They also have an adapted vehicle, which means they can enjoy getting out and about in the community with the support of their team and family.
Geneva, 29, is incredibly smiley, affectionate, and full of joy. She enjoys sensory activities, being read to, going for drives in the van, feeling the sunshine on her face, having her nails painted, and shopping trips.
Toby, 27, is gentle and affectionate. He is registered blind and enjoys quiet sensory activities, listening to music, relaxing in his favourite chair, and getting out and about in the family van.
Both siblings are supported by a dedicated team of 26 care professionals who provide 24/7 care. They require a range of specialist complex care skills, including tracheostomy management, ventilator support, PEG feeding, seizure management, chest physiotherapy, cough assist, catheter and bowel management, and full personal care. Both require 2:1 support for all mobility and transfers, with Geneva requiring 24-hour ventilation. Geneva also has a curvature of the spine requiring careful positioning and support.
At Apollo Home Healthcare, our focus is on enabling people with life-limiting conditions, like Geneva and Toby, to live fulfilling lives at home through bespoke nurse-led homecare packages that support both their clinical, social and emotional wellbeing.
Geneva had become seriously unwell with a severe chest infection and was admitted to hospital, where she spent many months before being well enough to return home. Around this time, her previous agency’s care package broke down, and she was transferred to a specialist residential care setting. Apollo Home Healthcare was then contacted by the local Integrated Care Board (ICB) to design a new, personalised complex care package that would enable her safe and comfortable return home.
We worked closely with Geneva’s family and the multi-disciplinary team involved in her care to design a personalised package that would ensure a smooth transition home after her long stay in residential care.
Our in-house recruitment team advertised and recruited a dedicated care team who were all trained to meet the advanced clinical skills necessary to deliver tracheostomy care, ventilator management, and personal care, safely and compassionately.
Geneva’s team of care professionals were trained within the residential care setting before we could facilitate Geneva’s safe transfer home. Our team were trained in all clinical care procedures as well as understanding Geneva’s unique communication cues, including facial expressions, body language, and sounds to identify when she was happy, uncomfortable, or in distress.
Geneva was able to return home with a tracheostomy and 24/7 ventilation in place, supported by her trained dedicated Apollo care team.
While Geneva was in residential care, Toby was admitted to hospital with a similar infection. After four months in ICU, he was able to return home with a tracheostomy and night time ventilation support.
Given their medical complexity, both Geneva and Toby required 24-hour care and support. Their skilled and dedicated care team of 26, ensures both siblings are safely cared for together at home, in a familiar and nurturing environment.
Geneva and Toby both receive person-centred complex care packages, designed around their individual clinical, social and personal care needs, including their preferences and daily routines. Their nurse-led care team deliver high-quality clinical care at home, providing safety, continuity, and peace of mind for their family.
Their dedicated care team is trained in:
The care team also provides sensory and emotional support, using calm, reassuring routines, hand and foot massages, music, and gentle interaction to enhance comfort and wellbeing. This approach enables both siblings to enjoy the things they love most, from music and sensory play to family outings and time outdoors.
This model highlights Apollo Home Healthcare’s commitment to specialist complex care at home, combining medical expertise with emotional connection to ensure Geneva and Toby’s safety, comfort, and happiness.
After months in hospital and residential care, Geneva and Toby are now thriving at home with the people who know and love them best.
Their dedicated care team provides consistent, highly skilled clinical support, ensuring their health and wellbeing remain the top priority. With a strong partnership between their family and the care team, Geneva and Toby enjoy a home filled with warmth, laughter, and love.
Our nurse-led approach gives Geneva and Toby the chance to stay where they belong, at home, surrounded by the people who love them most. With specialist support from their dedicated Apollo Home Healthcare Nurse, and clinical oversight from our Clinical Nurse Specialists, every aspect of their care is carefully managed to keep them safe, comfortable, and happy.
When new carers join the team, their dedicated nurse provides personalised, hands-on training to ensure every team member understands Geneva and Toby’s routines, preferences, and complex clinical needs. This ongoing support gives their grandparents complete peace of mind, knowing that the care delivered in their home is always consistent, compassionate, and expertly led.
Because of the stability of their care team, Geneva and Toby are now able to enjoy a wide range of enriching experiences. They take part in weekly arts and crafts activities, including painting and drawing, and love to spend time in their garden, especially when the weather is nice. Their garden features a small waterfall and sensory space, where they enjoy lights, sounds, and textures that stimulate their senses and help them relax.
They also enjoy daily walks around their village, often stopping by the local café, and regular outings in the community.
Faith plays an important part in family life, and Geneva and Toby now attend weekly congregation meetings at the Kingdom Hall, accompanied by their care team. It’s heartwarming to see the team attending alongside them, dressed and ready to take part in the services.
The stability and trust built with their care team has also given their grandparents the confidence to take a step back and enjoy their retirement, knowing that Geneva and Toby are in safe hands. They’ve even been able to take holidays again, travelling across the UK and Europe with peace of mind, knowing that Geneva and Toby continue to receive the same consistent, high-quality care while they’re away.
Our care has opened new opportunities for the whole family, from simple daily walks to holidays abroad, ensuring that Geneva and Toby lead happy, fulfilled lives surrounded by people who genuinely care.
At Apollo Home Healthcare, we’re proud to be part of their journey, empowering them to live safely, comfortably, and joyfully at home.
We’re always on the lookout for exceptional healthcare staff who can make a huge difference to the lives of our clients.
If you have complex care experience or are looking to expand your skills and enhance your career to include providing complex clinical care, we’d love to hear from you.
Search our latest vacancies and find out more here: jobs.apollohomehealthcare.com.
