Chuck is seventy two and hadn’t lived independently for more years than he could remember. For awhile he was fortunate to have natural supports and then moved into a room and board situation using community inclusion and transportation brokerage funds to get out of the house a few times a week. He took life one day at a time with a ho-hum attitude leaving decisions to be made by others, depending on someone else to take care of him and make things happen. The bad news is the boarding house closed and he had to move from the place he considered home and the person that took care of most of his daily needs.
For Chuck it all seemed a bit overwhelming, finding a place to live, hiring providers, setting up a new reppayee,
simply thinking about how it would all be accomplished as well as how he would manage his needs once he was on his own. Well it took some time and a lot of team work but the good news is he is doing wonderfully and enjoying his independence.
Chuck is actively managing his life and support needs by developing community living skills, making his own choices, integrating into the community, making friends, establishing relationships and looking forward to the future. The last time I met with him and expressed that he should feel proud of himself he smiled and said “I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks”.
“I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.“”
