There is a balance between having an organized group home and a home that is uncomfortable because residents can’t relax in because they are nervous about messing something up.
First remember that a group home is a HOME first and a place of business second.
To help group home residents know where things go after use your can provide the following:
Photographs and/or lists of what goes in a cabinet (use the inside of the cabinet door), inside containers, on laundry room shelves, cleaning closets, shelves, etc. If the picture or list can be posted discreetly do so. If not have a book that the group home resident can refer to.
Have the residents have their own personal care basket with a handle or bag to keep their things in. This is important for sanitary reasons and for financial reasons.
Have the group home support staff model appropriate organization.
Organize the group home residents rooms and closets.
Create routines of getting activity supplies, games, clothes, etc that include keeping things organized. The repetition will help group home residents develop organization skills so they will not need constant prompting.
Get rid of clutter. Things that aren’t used or their are duplicates of can be given to other group homes that may need the item. It is easier to stay organized if their isn’t a lot of unused stuff to constantly put away.
Have a shelf or closet for paperwork to be secured and organized. Paperwork will be more likely accurately filled out if organized and easy to find. Use notebooks to organize paperwork so that it is all together for the group home staff to fill out.
Once a group home is organized, if everyone spends a few minutes a shift to keep it organized, there will be less times searching for things and cleaning up messes. Organized group homes allow for more time to spend with the residents.
Often microwaves in group homes become very dirty. Sometimes it is because staff isn’t doing their job. Other times it is because a group home resident may have a behavior or have other need that the staff must attend to. Staff may become distracted and forget about the mess in the microwave. Other times residents use the microwave and don’t let staff know that there is a mess in the microwave and isn’t discovered until it is dried on and difficult to clean.
Here is a video that shows how to clean a microwave.
There are some group homes and group home residents that cannot afford cable or satellite TV and will need to purchase the converter box before the end of analog broadcasts and the beginning of 100% digital broadcasting on February 17, 2008. It would be wise not to wait until the last minute and risk not being able to get one. I work in electronics at Walmart and we have run out of converter boxes several times over the past few months.
What are the options for group homes and group home residents before the change over next February?
Keep your existing analog TV and purchase a TV converter box. (A converter box plugs into your TV and will keep it working after Feb. 17, 2009)
Connect to cable, satellite or other pay service
Purchase a television with a digital tuner (just about every TV made after March 1, 2007 will have a digital tuner built in).
Buy a DVD or Blu-ray player with a built in tuner
One of the most important things to know about converter boxes is that there is a $40 coupon available. Up to two coupons can be requested per household. Requesting a coupon is easy and can be done a number of ways between January 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009. Here are the ways you can request a coupon (while supplies last):
Call the Coupon Program 24-hour hotline 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009).
Mail a coupon application to: PO BOX 2000, Portland, OR 97208-2000. Download a Coupon Application here.
Fax a coupon application to 1-877-DTV-4ME2 (1-877-388-4632)
Deaf or hard of hearing callers may dial 1-877-530-2634 (English/TTY) or 1-866-495-1161 (Spanish/TTY). TTY Service is available from 9 AM - 9 PM Eastern Time Monday through Friday.
You will have 90 days to use the coupon, so there is plenty of time for group home support staff to request funds to pay for the converter boxes. Taxes will be applied to the purchase price of the converter box BEFORE the $40 discount, so be sure to include that in when budgeting if the group home does not have tax exempt status.
For further information regarding the switch from analog to digital broadcasting and the use of the converter box can be found at these sites:
www.dtvanswers.com - DTV Answers offers more information about television’s switch to digital, including resources to help choose an antenna, converter box details, videos, and more.
www.ceretailers.org - Visit the Consumer Electronics Retailers Coalition and download a special “Consumer Guide” on the DTV Transition.
www.dtv.gov - DTV related consumer resources, outreach tools, publications, news, and more can be found here.
www.dtvtransition.org - Take an online quiz to find out if you are ready for the DTV Transition or access an extensive list of online DTV resources.
www.digitaltips.org - A valuable resource provided by the Consumer Electronics Association, has a handy “Quick Start Guide” to install a TV Converter Box and other useful tools.
www.getreadyfordigitaltv.com - Useful information and television spots brought to you by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association.
www.ncta.com - The National Cable & Telecommunications Association website.
Now is the time for group home support staff to start planning how group homes and group home residents will be getting their TV signal after the change to digital in February 2009.
