MR Services currently offers three
types of residential programs: Certified Residential Facilities
(CRF), Personal Care services and Companion Services.
Personal Care Services allows individuals with
MR/DD to live at home with family. Staff come into the home to assist
the individual with activities of daily living such as bathing,
dressing, and eating. Through this services, primary caregivers
are provided much needed assistance with the daily care of their
loved one.
Companion Services is designed for individuals
with MR/DD who are able to function independently within the community
with some guidance. These individuals live in their own homes and
many work either full or part time jobs. Staff are made available
for supervision of such activities as banking, shopping, and meal
planning.
Certified Residential Facilities,
(CRF), comprise the largest percentage of the residential programs.
In these homes, daily habilitation is provided for individuals with
MR/DD diagnoses ranging from mild to profound. Instruction is provided
in self-care, economics, independent functioning, socialization
and leisure skills. Upon admission to the program, several evaluations
are conducted to determine each individual's level of functioning,
needs, and likes/dislikes. An Individual Service Plan (ISP) is then
formulated by the habilitation team. Included in the ISP is the
Habilitation Plan, which outlines the daily training activities,
as well as lists any additional services the individual may receive
from NWAMHC or any other provider agency.
The Habilitation Plan
is reviewed every three months to determine its validity and revised
as needed. The daily training is part of a formal plan designed to
bring each individual to maximum functioning level and, for the most
part, is conducted during daily activities at the home. For example,
training in financial skills may take place during shopping trips,
purchasing stamps at the post office and conducting banking activities.
Training in social skills takes place at parties, dances, and church
functions. The objectives of the CRF programs are to provide necessary
training in the least restrictive environment and to guide each individual
toward maximum independence.
Individual choice
is encouraged in all areas of life; every effort is made to accommodate
these choices. The personal preferences of each individual are apparent
throughout each home.
Strong bonds among the individuals and between
the staff and the individuals are a natural development in the CRF
environment. The CRF is home to those who live there and it tends
to develop a personality and atmosphere all its own. Spending forty
hours each week in the homes, staff become extended family to the
individuals.
Northwest currently
serves 67 individuals in CRF programs throughout our five county
catchment and employs 100+ staff.