Over the last 2 years, you've demonstrated an inability to live independently when exerting your best effort. The burden is falling to your friends to fill in the gaps. We think you should consider a group home.That's what my care team told me recently, and it came as a blow. My roommate was the first to bring it up, as one of those friends who was feeling the weight of filling in the gaps in my ability to care for myself and my dog. My roommate is in her master's program for social work and works with people with autism for a living. When I brought her concerns to my counselor, my counselor agreed with her assessment- I need more supports. So now, my case manager and counselor are searching for good group homes that will take my ESA (emotional support animal) and I by June at the latest, since my lease is up in July.
Meanwhile, my doctor has put in an order for nursing and aide care, but we don't know how long that will take to come through. I also set up a meeting for January 3rd with ExactCare pharmacy. If they take my case, they will send me each time's worth of medication in a pouch (Monday AM, Monday PM, Tuesday AM, etc.) that's ready to take, so that I no longer need someone to fill my pill boxes. This would give me some independence and help me be more medication compliant. I'm also working to shift around the way I use the support that I do have so that less work falls on my roommates and friends, but it's hard to juggle. To make that happen, I would have to have my case manager, who I'm not very comfortable with, start taking me to some of my doctor's appointments, so that the only aide who can help with household things would be freed up to do so.
Truthfully, this isn't the life I envisioned for myself, and right now, my quality of life isn't very good. However, all of these action steps- getting in touch with ExactCare, looking for group homes, shifting around my support, etc.- are new steps we are taking to improve my quality of life in light of my mental and physical illnesses and disabilities. I've also recently done an inpatient psychiatric treatment program and made some changes coming home that are helping me be more stable. We're moving in the right direction, and I think a group home, for all its drawbacks as a person who likes to be in control and an introvert, is the right next step for me.
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