A word about my son
I haven't shared much about my children. So . . .Travis. Travis is now 25, severely mentally handicapped. He is medicated for ADHD, seizure prevention, etc. He is relatively non-verbal, but if you can slow him down with verbal prompts, he can speak so as to be understood. He is a happy young man - full of energy, and sometimes, mischief. He has a tremendous sense of humor, loves to worship, absolutely loves sports, and loves to sing.
After High School graduation, we started looking around for the next step for him - which was always going to be a move toward some sort of greater independence. He isn't able to live on his own and take complete care for himself, so supervised living is the ticket. Our first shot was in an ICFMR - long name and acrostic for big group home. This one was out of town (50 miles) and was quite large - 27 males and 27 females. He made it there 2 1/2 years, and then they kicked him out because of behaviors. The staff/client ratio there was atrocious - 1 to 16 or so.
Next stop was a smaller ICFMR - 8 clients in a rather large house - but it was also coed, and that lasted less than a year.
September of 2004 we moved him into a true group home - at that time, there were 4 other male consumers in the home, and the same staff put him to bed each night of the week. Much better situation. But Travis is so very social, he is a constant strain on the psyches of the other guys, and they really want him to move on. This morning, we had a meeting with all the powers that be, and we are starting to look for the next place. This time, we are actually hoping for the next level of care, which would mean he would be one of three residents in a home, with much more direct, individualized care. Not that he physically needs the care, but he socially needs it.
The pain that parents of mentally handicapped parents live with - for a lifetime - never goes away. Trav is a love, but as I am fond of saying, sometimes Travis reminds us that "love hurts."
This was another in a lifetime of painful days.
posted by the sojourning pilgrim @ 1:05 PM
1 Comments:
Bummed to hear you have to move him again. Lots of luck!
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