No. We are not nursing homes. But we are homes. Our clients eat their meals family style, share common living and dining areas, and each have their own bed and bedroom. Intermittant, not constant, nursing services are needed and provided.
Questions of placement are not easily answered. The concerns of each client who resides with us are addressed on an individual basis.
ICF/DD-N’s and ICF/DD-H’s have different placement criteria, and those who may otherwise meet those requirements may have conditions which preclude placement. These would be a history of hurting others, running away, starting fires and so forth.
The best place to start is with your local regional center. Have your family member’s regional center service co-ordinator contact us. We have placements available for both male and female clients over the age of 18.
This decision is made jointly between the regional center and WRS. From our prospective it is a matter of reviewing the clients chart or file, and then assessing the client by meeting with the client, their family as well as their current care provider. This assessment is made by our administrator, our nurse and qualified intellectual disabilities professional (QIDP).
No, we do not take private pay clients. Our clients are funded through Medi-Cal. Occasionally we take in “respites”, temporary placements to allow family caregivers a break from the demands of the client, but these are paid for by the regional centers.
Regional Centers were created by the Lanterman Act. A portion of that Act, found in the Welfare and Institutions Code, states that “it is the intent of the Legislature that regional centers assist persons with developmental disabilites and their families in securing those services and supports which maximize opportunities and choices for living, working, learning, and recreating in the community.” (Welfare and Institutions Code Section 4640.7)