Nourish Your Soul: Continuum March 2018 E-Newsletter

In This Issue

Persistence Makes Breakthroughs //  Brain Food // Spring Cleaning and Lawn Care
 New In-Home Services // Donations // Advocacy Matters

Persistence Makes Breakthroughs

Natoya and her parents have faced tremendous challenges and heartbreak, but they have never given up hope or the pursuit for her to thrive.  Natoya was diagnosed with severe developmental disabilities when she was very young, and she is nonverbal, deaf, and legally blind.

Having a child with severe disabilities requires a lot of work, love, and sacrifice.  Natoya’s parents worked steadfastly to find the right resources and placement for their special daughter.  It wasn’t easy though.  Being unable to communicate caused Natoya great frustration, and especially when she couldn’t express discomfort or pain.  Frustration often led to difficult behaviors, such as tantrums, self-harm and combativeness.

Her parents had a tough time finding day programs for Natoya, so they had to place her in specialized group homes at a very young age. They were not too pleased with the initial homes and programs she was placed in. They lacked personalized care and sensory items.  Staff continuously gave her takeout/fast food meals, and their attitudes were very nonchalant toward her parents' concerns. 

Finding Continuum last year has made a world of difference, because in the words of Natoya’s program manager Nancy, “We’ll try anything.”

Continuum’s staff give Natoya highly personalized care.  They take her on outings in the community, keep her on a regular exercise schedule, and provide a solid self-care routine that helps to calm her when she’s not feeling well. They understand her need for sensory stimulation, particularly given her hearing and visual impairments.  She’s a big fan of long baths with an essential oil diffuser and a light projector that transforms her room into an ocean wonderland. Staff rotate cooking duties so Natoya and her housemates always have a healthy variety of food to eat. 

Staff also maintain a bin of all sorts of tactile-friendly, scented items that help with her sensitivity to sensory information – sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, balance and body awareness – that often make it challenging for people with developmental disabilities to understand the world around them.

To that end, she enjoys drawing with scented markers, working with building blocks, feeling the soft-textured, feathery or furry items they provide, and playing on her drums – staff is thinking about getting her a keyboard, as well. She also works with a visual matching game (staff thinks she can see a bit, i.e., shadows), and she LOVES Connect 4.

Persistence makes progress. Natoya has made major achievements in areas of life so many of us take for granted. For example, staff were impressed by the fact that it only took her a week to physically familiarize herself in her new environment at Continuum. She knows how to do her own laundry, with supervision, and clears her dishes from the table after eating. Natoya was also finally able to take a walk around her neighborhood after weeks of trying to get her past her home’s driveway. It’s important to her program that she and all her housemates be as independent as possible.

She goes home every other weekend, and on the other weekends her parents come to the house on Sundays to spend time with her. They also meet with Continuum for weekly check-ups on how she is doing.

What Natoya’s parents want is simple. That she be safe, comfortable, well taken care of and, above all, enjoy her life. All of this love and support is what it takes.

Brain Food

Are you nourishing your brain? The food you eat is the fuel that keeps the control center of your body -- your brain -- running. Eating food high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourish the brain. The right foods can enhance brain functioning, your mood, and more while the wrong food (i.e., fried and highly-processed food) will compromise your brain health. Read below for affordable and simple healthy brain recipes.

Spring Cleaning and Lawn Care

Spring is in the air, and it's time to clear out the clutter and keep your yard the envy of your neighbors. Luckily for you, no job is TOO BIG or too small for Continuum's Landscaping Crew and Dream to Clean Team.

Get your free estimate now for Housekeeping, Heavy Cleaning, Landscaping or Lawn Maintenance - lawn care is currently only in New Haven County. Both teams are fully insured and Continuum guarantees high-quality, professional service.

Contact: Elsa Ward at 203.498.4160 x 302 or eward@continuumct.org.

New In-Home Services

Continuum's new Individualized Services Program (ISP) provides people with developmental disabilities (such as autism) with the opportunity to live independently in their home while being active members of their community. 

ISP Offers:

"Kim is always excited when staff come to pick her up, and it's relief for me to know that she's well taken care of." -- Elaine San Angelo, parent

Contact ISP Director Lisa McNeill at 475.224.6687 or lmcneill@continuumct.org for more information or referrals.

Donations

Advocacy Matters

It's important that DMHAS and DDS get fully funded in order to rebuild lives. Organizations like Continuum depend on this funding to help rebuild lives while saving the state millions of dollars. 

Watch the clip of Continuum client and employee Vinny's inspiring story as he testifies in front of the Appropriations Committee.