NYSACRA

Blend Day and Residential Services at the Robert Sansone Intermediate Care Facility

The agency will provide on-site, age specific day habilitation services that are commensurate with a consumer’s wants, needs, functioning level and consistent with the Guiding Principles. NYSARC, Inc. – Suffolk Chapter 2900 Veterans Memorial Highway, Bohemia, New York 11716-1193 NYS OMRDD OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE THROUGH SERVICES (NYS OPTS) APPLICATION FOR PARTICIPATION TO BLEND DAY AND RESIDENTIAL SERVICES AT THE ROBERT SANSONE INTERMEDIATE CARE FACILITY Executive Summary Day services to be offered A consequence of the consumers becoming cognitively and medically more debilitated is that they are no longer able to tolerate the rigors of attending an off-site day program. The agency will provide on-site, age specific day habilitation services that are commensurate with a consumer’s wants, needs, functioning level and consistent with the Guiding Principles. Provision of these on-site services will include the addition of a 4,500 square foot addition to an existing building. Residential services to be offered By making some building modifications services will be enhanced for 24 consumers who are aging or require more intense medical supervision than is available in their ICF living units. In some instances the level of care some consumers require could qualify them for nursing home placement. By retrofitting one of the Shoreham ICF buildings with appropriate equipment, making minor building modifications and enriching nursing and direct care staffing there will be no need to consider a residential change because the needs of an individual will not be greater than the resources of the agency to meet them. Consumers who will use these services Twenty-four (24) people (ages 31-88) who are in the residence at the Robert Sansone Intermediate Care Facility in Shoreham, New York. Each of the people have been receiving residential and off-site day service for more than 20 years. Although they entered the program with severe disabilities they have until recently been vital individuals. Today, however, they are people who receive tube feedings, need continuous oxygen or oxygen therapy, and present signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease. Specifically, some of the consumers have a diagnosis of Down Syndrome and show signs of medical, physical and mental health problems. Process of consumer involvement Over the past few years discussion of the concept of blending residential and day services at Shoreham has been initiated by and with families on numerous occasions. On behalf of their sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters family members have expressed a desire to have services at Shoreham that are less rigorous than the current demands of an ICF but nonetheless retain and enhance the opportunities for their relatives to benefit from improved access to the services and supports they need and want. They are fully supportive of the proposed concept. How the proposal differs from current services Inasmuch as residential and day services will be offered at the same site there will be a greater opportunity for consumers to choose between participating in day services or, if they are not physically up to it, resting and then, if they wish, returning to an activity. Currently, with the day program being 25 miles from the residence it is not practicable for a person to take a respite from the day’s activities without returning to the residence. Because of the fragility of the consumers the entire support system of the residential program will be available immediately in the event there is need for an immediate medical intervention. This timely interchange between day and support services and residential support services is not possible the way services are currently able to be offered. Commitment of resources All shareholders, consumers, families, staff and Board are committed to seeing this proposal develop into a set of services that ensures the agency will fulfill its commitment to the people who moved to Shoreham 22 years ago. That commitment was to be able to complete the circle of services for people served by the agency from infancy to old age. The resources it will take include enriched staffing, new facilities and equipment at Shoreham. Also, the day program at Westhampton will be reconfigured from a day treatment model to a system of day habilitation services. Services evaluation The services will be evaluated consistent with the Evaluation Criteria for NYS OPTS Pilot Projects draft guidelines.