How Group Homes For Developmentally Disabled Adults Operate

By Edna Booker


There is a myriad of mental illnesses which result into varying degrees of disabilities. Some of the commonly encountered ones include autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy among others. Persons with mental disabilities are often faced with numerous challenges in their day to day life. When living in the general population, they may either face stigma of may fail to have their special needs addressed. Group homes for developmentally disabled adults provide a new lease of life to these individuals.

One of the biggest challenges that persons with the developmental disability is the fact that they cannot take care of simple tasks relating to personal care. This includes grooming, feeding, using the toilet and other survival skills. There is a heavy dependence on other family members which may result in inconveniences and friction among the family members.

How long can one stay in a group home? There are no hard and fast rules regarding the duration of stay in the facilities. This stay is determined by the severity of limitation and how fast they gain survival skills. There should be no hurry to have them come back home until they are fit.

The success of the program is determined by, among many other factors, a healthy relationship within the family. Sending a person to a group home should not be a way of getting rid of them. It is important to organise regular visits as a show of solidarity. Additionally, these visits are an opportunity to assess any gains that have been made. Identifying an accessible group home becomes very important in this regard.

When choosing a group home, there are a number of things to look out for. Make sure that your choice of home is fully equipped with enough facilities. Some patients may have a coexisting medical condition that has to be treated at the facility. You will be well advised to compare several of them before settling on your choice. More importantly, the home must have a licence to operate that is issued by the Department of Human Services.

The residential homes are required by law to have day activity centres that engage the occupants and help with mental training. They should also have opportunities for vocational job trainings or job placement services. This is aimed at achieving the main objective of integrating the individual into the community once they live the home. Ensure that the home that you chose has these services.

One of the advantages of the homes is that the individuals are given an opportunity to explore their talents which would not otherwise be discovered. When properly trained some of these people may be empowered to work alongside able bodied colleagues. Since each person has a unique problem different from the other, specially trained instructors are allocated to each of the adults. It is this instructor that is best placed to identify the skills of the individuals and to sharpen them so that they can be useful to society.

Developmental disability is usually associated with significant limitation in carrying out simple tasks. Some of these tasks are essential for survival meaning that people with the disabilities often need assistance to carry them out. Sending such a person to a group home should be viewed positively as it provides an opportunity to lead a better life.




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