The Challenge
For many of our clients, establishing some level of independence is critically important and provides a higher quality of life and overall happiness–especially for young adults as they come of age. In this particular case, a family in Georgia was approaching an important day: their daughter’s 21st birthday.
Diagnosed with a developmental disability since birth, the daughter’s 21st birthday wouldn’t be the same celebration of independence that most young adults experience. Still, the family hoped to provide her with increased autonomy and help her transition to more adult activities, while continuing to offer her the care and support she would need throughout her lifetime.
Our Job
This young woman was very aware that she was coming of age, and she understood that she wouldn’t be able to experience complete independence. National Care Advisors was engaged to assist this client and her parents with her transition to adulthood.
A personalized life care plan was developed focusing on independence and adulthood, consistent with the vision for quality of life and the scope of available resources.
We spent time with her and her family and built a plan focused on the following considerations:
- Where is she the client going to live – family home, apartment, condo?
- Who is going to provide the daily support and supervision services required and how much help does she really require to be safe?
- Will she have a house mate or would she live alone?
- Who will provide transportation?
- What will she do all day Monday through Friday?
- What will she do on the weekends?
- How will she continue to socialize with her peers and family?
- How much is this going to cost?
The Success
Our case managers are nurses and understand the need for quality care and independence, while maximizing benefits. By working with our client, her parents, and her teachers, this vision for a high quality of life was developed and analyzed for costs. Social Security, Medicaid, and Department of Disability Services benefits were verified. An expenditure plan was developed to project the private funds that would be needed to achieve the overall vision. A transition plan was developed for each step of the process. This young woman found a job that was consistent with her abilities, her family built a separate apartment on their home, caregiver staff was hired, and she started to participate in adult socialization activities that were of interest to her. She was able to “move out” and transition to her own personal living space close to her family.
In addition, National Care Advisors collaborated with the client’s parents, their attorney, and their financial planner to make sure that their estate plan would provide funding for their daughter’s private pay expenses for the remainder of her lifetime.
In the end, not only did this young woman receive a new sense of independence–her parents and family had the chance to see their daughter grow up and step out into the world.