JAN'S GROUP HOME SUPPORT

Reduce Utility Bills just added a new category-Gasoline. The first post to help lower what you will pay at the pump was posted today, Shopping Strategies to Lower Gasoline Expenses! It seems appropriate as we celebrate the America’s freedom on this 4th of July, it would be nice to be free of the high expense of filling up the tank. Not only personally, but also for our group homes. The less money going out to fill up the tank, the more money available for things like:

• Outings
• Groceries
• Vacations
• Household items

The post has some good suggestions for planning shopping. Some clients don’t do well on long shopping trips even if it does save the house some money. Ways to save help group home residents tolerate longer trips:

• Plan something that they enjoy at the end of the trip
• Bring snacks and drinks
• Stop at a park in between stores
• Have extra staff to occupy residents who don’t like to shop while staff and resident who enjoys shopping shop
• Do shopping near where resident is picked up from DTA (day treatment activity) or work program
• If residents don’t tolerate shopping, shop without residents after transport to DTA or work program

Planning trips with residents tolerance levels in mind can reduce the mileage driven by the group home vehicle and it will in turn reduce gas expenses.

Keeping group home residents safe isn’t always easy. In the group home it is easier to manage the risk by keeping the following inaccessible to group home residents:

• Cleaning solutions
• Medications
• Yard maintenance chemicals
• Pool chemicals

During summer time activities, group home support staff will need to be extra watchful. Even though the residents may not be at a functioning level that allows them to keep themselves safe, they are still considered adults. When going to a public or private activity or function, the following can assure that the residents will be safe and fun can be had by all:

• Know the resident you are caring for
• Scan the area upon arrival for possible risks
• Politely ask that things like pool chemicals be removed from the area
• Stay focused on resident
• Have emergency information about the resident close at hand

In the event a group home resident comes in contact with a poisonous substance call Poison Control 1-800-222-1222. If there are any serious adverse reactions or warnings on the label, call 911.

Basic first aide for poisoning:

• Medication ingestion-call 911
• Poison ingestion-call 911
• Inhaled poison-move to fresh air immediately. Call poison control immediately.
• Poison on the skin-remove any clothing that poison is on and rinse skin for 15-20 minutes. Call poison control immediately.
• Poison in the eye-rinse with running water for 15-20 minutes. Call poison control immediately.

More information can be found at American Association of Poison Control Centers.

Don’t be distracted by the new people and environments that you come in contact with during the summer, remember group home residents are dependent on group home support staff to keep them safe during summer time activities.

I was reading this post on Katja Stokly’s blog Broken Clay about some new technology that will help wheel chair users locate ramps and stairs (to avoid) when at public places.

In this article describes a project that a group of Laffert’s  students at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg are working on.

For those who live independently and can get around on their own in their wheel chair this will eliminate one of the challenges of moving around in a world that is mainly designed for people who have use of their legs.

For group home staff who care for a disabled person who uses a wheel chair, this new technology can be very helpful for them as well. Often one staff will have two or more residents and be on an outing alone. I know that residents can easily tire and can easily become frustrated. Getting from point A to point B can be slow and challenging even with the best circumstances. Having to backtrack because of a barrier like stairs is frustrating for everyone. In the event point B is the restroom, well, it can complicate things further!

I hope this becomes available soon. When it is available, I hope it’s at an affordable price for the many disabled who live in group homes or independently and have limited income.

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