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The Supported Living Department is dedicated to serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in all aspects of community living. Our purpose is to serve individuals in their own home, apartment, or their family home. The community support program provides traditional Medicaid Waiver services, or we will make every effort to be creative with the services required to insure individual needs are being met.
We provide an array of services funded either through the Medicaid Waiver or by State Contracts. We also provide information to families who may need to seek alternative funding sources. Our program is certified to provide Habilitation Services, and Respite under the Medicaid Waiver program along with State Contract funding.
The definition of these services are as follows:
Habilitation Services: Planned goal centered activities to assist people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These activities will assist the person to participate and integrate into community settings. Activities may be done as a group, small group, or individually with a staff of choice. Activities may include activities of daily living, mobility, nutrition, recreation and leisure, social and interpersonal skills, academic skills, motor and perceptual skills, communication skills, decision making, self advocacy, money management, community integration, medication assistance, cooking, housekeeping, linkage friends, family, and other services. Assistance is offered in paying bills and checkbook management for those people that request it.
Respite Services: To provide temporary relief to the caregiver. Services are provided in the family’s home. Respite services may be provided to people on the autism waiver, intellectual and developmental disability waiver, support services waiver, and people who receive state funding. A family always has the choice of interviewing and selecting the staff person that they wish to come into their home to provide this service.
Our main focus is to build a circle of support around the individual to help maintain family, friends and advocate support. Our goal is to help the family/individual stay within their own community and not have to be served in an alternative setting. The Supported Living Department is committed to concentrating our efforts on enhancing the quality of life of all individuals we serve by assisting them to develop to their maximum potential. The care and assistance a person receives may vary from two hours per week to 24 hours daily.
People served along with family members or advocates may interview and choose the staff that work with them. A person must feel comfortable with a staff person that works with them, so choice by consumers is fully exercised.
The department offers monthly activities for consumers and their friends to help provide a social outlet. In the past these activities have included the following: Railcat games, Halloween Party, Christmas Dance, Game Night, Craft Night, restaurant get together, holiday dinners, and a variety of dances. Additional planned activities include hay rides, concerts, ladies night, health fairs, and barbeques.
The Supported Living Department uses a team approach to assist the consumers we work with, staff and management. A team may consist of a case manager, Arc BRIDGES Direct Support Professional, Area Manager, Service Coordinator, the consumer, family, friends, medical support, and any other person the consumer wishes to have assist them with advocacy.
We believe in the philosophy of using positive behavior supports. All staff working for the department has received training in a variety of areas that include: Medication administration, consumer rights, positive supports, behavior management, community services, community integration, money management, first aide, CPR, seizure management, and a variety of other areas that are required to be able to serve the people they work with. In addition, all staff receive certification in basic and intermediate Mandt. Mandt is a nationally recognized course on building positive, healthy relationships that help to meet the needs of individuals served.
Arc BRIDGES' continued long-term goal is to provide quality residential support to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We have made changes to provide 5 independent homes and 3 independent apartment buildings with shared expenses and shared staff where people make choices and fully participate in independent living. In addition, we are opening more new accessible, fully staffed group homes certified for long-term care by Medicaid. This project will increase options in Residential supports for over 75 people.
IF YOU NEED FURTHER INFORMATION ON OUR SUPPORTED LIVING SERVICES CALL: (219) 884-1138 extension 6551 AND ASK FOR THE SUPPORTED LIVING DIRECTOR.
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