2019-coronavirus (1)

Knowing Your Risk During COVID-19

What to know before going out

  • The more closely you interact with others and the longer that interaction, the higher risk of COVID-19 spread.
  • Keep these items with you when venturing out;
    • Cloth face covering
    • Tissues
    • Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
  • Some people have the virus and don’t have any symptoms

Things to think about before going out

  • How many people will you interact with?
    • Interacting with more people raises your risk
    • Being in a group with people who aren’t social distancing or wearing cloth face coverings increase your risk.
  • Can you keep 6 feet of space between you and others?
    • The closer you are to other people who may be infected, the greater our risk of getting sick.
  • Will you be indoors or outdoors?
    • Indoor spaces have less ventilation and might be harder to keep people apart.
  • What’s the length of time that you will be interacting with people?
    • Spending more time with people who may be infected increases your risk of becoming infected.
    • Spending more time with people increases their risk of becoming infected if there is any chance that you may already be infect.

Consider before you go

  • Is COVID-19 spreading in my community?
  • What are the local orders in my community?
  • Will my activity put me in close contact with others?
  • Am I at risk for severe illness?
  • Do I live with someone who is at risk for severe illness?
  • Do I practice every day preventative actions?
  • Will I share any items, equipment or tools with other people?
  • Will I need to take public transportation to get to the activity?
  • Does my activity require travel to another community?
  • If I get sick with COVID-19, will I have to miss work?
  • Do I know what to do if I get sick?
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LIFE Club Events This Week!

Join us for some upcoming virtual events! Any and all are welcome!

We are switching to a different platform for LIFE Club. Please follow the links imbedded in this message to participate.

Tuesday, July 28

LIFE Club:  Game Night

When:  Tuesday, July 28 from 5:00pm-6:30pm

What: Join us for an evening of friendship, discussion, and learning! These interactive groups will focus on developing skills and confidence for social situations in a way that is fun and informative! This week we will go back to a classic and have a game night! We will play charades and other fun word games. Please follow the new link below to participate! LIFE Club is open to all.

Instructions:  In order to participate, please follow meet.google.com/cvq-xaya-swy at 5:00pm to participate. Contact christopher.sharkey@supportinc.com or gwen.bonilla@supportinc.com for any questions. Everyone is welcome!

Wednesday, July 29

Moving and Grooving:  Tai Chi

When:  Wednesday, July 29 from 12:00pm-1:00pm

What:  We will join together to discuss life’s stressors while improving the physical health of our bodies to create a healthy lifestyle by learning helpful social and exercise habits. Thisgroupwill incorporate a different movement activity every session. This week will have a tai chi theme! There will be a tutorial and visuals for this fun and meditation based exercise. This is a great opportunity to be active during a virtual time. Adaptable for all abilities!

Instructions:  In order to participate, please follow https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85277454478  at 12:00pm to participate. Everyone is welcome! Contact ashley.treiber@supportinc.com for any questions.

Thursday, July 30

Touching Stories

When:  Thursday, July 30 from 11:00am-12:00pm

What: Touching Stories is a unique therapy model, specifically designed for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, that pairs the social and emotional learning of story with sensory integration activities in a way that is educational, engaging, and simply, a lot of fun! We have adapted our Touching Stories for at home use. Gwen and Meredith will first lead participants in a scavenger hunt for the sensory items needed for the stories (all items are common items found in every home) and then will tell the sensory-based stories to the group. Please see the attached list for scavenger hunt items. If you are curious to learn more, please watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcjzvevJ9_w&t=67s.

Instructions:  In order to participate, please follow https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86143640216 at 11:00am to participate. Everyone is welcome! Contact gwen.bonilla@supportinc.com or meredith.kane@supportinc.com for any questions. Everyone is welcome!

Friday, July 31

Pop Culture Group:  Cartoons and Animation

When:  Friday, July 31 from 12:00pm-1:00pm

What:  Pop Culture Group is an opportunity for clients to come together and connect over their common interests and explore new ideas at the same time. Come explore different styles of cartoons, animation, and comedy through illustrated art. We will learn, laugh, and watch in this upcoming session focused on cartoons and animation. Last we learned what “episodic” means. This week we are watching more than one episode and talking about how story lines can connect. This one is for the tv lovers!

Instructions:  In order to participate, please follow https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88042448634 at 12:00pm to participate. Everyone is welcome! Contact meredith.kane@supportinc.com for any questions. All are welcome!

Items Needed For Thursday, July 30

We’ll do two stories:

Scavenger Hunt for Henny Penny!

  1. Wooden Spoon
  2. Empty box or Hardcover book
  3. Something round like a nut
  4. Shirt with a pocket
  5. String
  6. “Pail” or a Jar or a bowl
  7. Berries or something that smells like berries
  8. Nails/Screws/etc
  9. Buttons
  10. Something Furry/Soft
  11. And get ready to make animal noises for a chicken, a duck, a cow, a goose, a pig, a sheep, and a fox

A Day at the Beach Scavenger Hunt!

  1. Shredded up newspaper (just a couple sheets)
  2. A plastic bag
  3. Something that smells like flowers (real flowers, a candle, perfume, etc.)
  4. Sandpaper (or something that feels gritty – a pumice stone, or the rough side of a scrubbing sponge)
  5. Vanilla (or something that smells like vanilla)
  6. Bubbles (you can get them at the dollar store or grocery store, but if that’s not available, a little  dish soap in water)
  7. Aluminum foil
  8. A towel
  9. Bandaid
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Host Home Provider of the Month

Please join us in congratulating our recent Host Home Provider of the Month, Christine Silitonga.

The following write-ups were produced by our Denver Metro 3 Team:

We first met Christine Silitonga in July of 2019 when her PRS was discharged from Wheat Ridge Regional Center to her home. From day one, he was considered part of her family and enjoyed BBQ’s, parties and other activities with them when able. Although it was challenging in the beginning due to increased symptoms of dementia, Christine kept moving forward, showing her love and compassion for this individual as he struggled through numerous health issues. She was dedicated, worked around the clock and always kept a positive attitude. Christine was there day in and day out while this person endured multiple hospitalizations. Hospital staff would call Christine for assistance as they could see how strong their bond was. She could calm this person down when he was in pain and feed him when he wouldn’t eat for anyone else. Christine, his med proxy, and team at Support, Inc worked together to challenge medical decisions to ensure he got the best care possible. She was an advocate for him, showed the world that he had a will to live and that he most certainly had a good quality of life.

After a recent hospitalization, Christine went to great lengths to set up this person’s room as though he were at the hospital so she could provide continuous care to him in the comfort of his own home. Those who previously worked with this individual, his case manager at the CCB and his whole team at Support, Inc will be forever grateful for the love and compassion that he was shown at Christine’s home and we know that if he could tell us now, he would say that he lived his best life, right up until his last breath.
-Dani Gordon/Associate Director, Support, Inc.

Christine has been an exemplary provider since I first met her, and I had no doubt our PRS would get amazing care. From the get-go, she showed a willingness to care for him no matter the difficulty. As this person’s health began to decline, she did everything in her power to treat him with love and dignity and was a true advocate. She always put him first, including staying numerous days and nights in the hospital with him to ensure he got the best care possible. She took on an amazing amount of health assignments to keep this individual healthy and happy at home. She did these things until he eventually passed on, but we never doubted her love and commitment to him every single day. Christine deserves this as much as any person in this organization. Congratulations Christine 🙂
-Jared Trembly/RPC, Support, Inc

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LIFE Club Events This Week!

Join us for some upcoming virtual events! Check out our new Pop Culture Group on Fridays.

Please follow the links imbedded in this message to participate.

Tuesday, July 14

LIFE Club:  The “Ungame”

When:  Tuesday, July 14 from 5:00pm-6:30pm

What: Join us for an evening of friendship, discussion, and learning! These interactive groups will focus on developing skills and confidence for social situations in a way that is fun and informative! The UnGame is the game with a thousand answers to every question!  In this non-competitive game, everybody wins as we learn more about each other by asking questions like “What would you do with a million dollars” and “If you were going to write a book, what would the title be?” LIFE Club is open to all.

Instructions:  In order to participate, please follow https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89924525638 at 5:00pm to participate. Contact christopher.sharkey@supportinc.com or gwen.bonilla@supportinc.com for any questions. Everyone is welcome!

Wednesday, July 15

Moving and Grooving:  Adaptive Yoga

When:  Wednesday, July 15 from 12:00pm-1:00pm

What:  We will join together to discuss life’s stressors while improving the physical health of our bodies to create a healthy lifestyle by learning helpful social and exercise habits. Thisgroupwill incorporate a different movement activity every session. Let’s slow down and take a day to get back to basics. We will stretch and focus on our inner strength by using adaptive yoga techniques. This is a great opportunity to be active during a virtual time. Adaptable for all abilities!

Instructions:  In order to participate, please follow https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85277454478  at 12:00pm to participate. Everyone is welcome! Contact ashley.treiber@supportinc.com for any questions.

Thursday, July 16

Touching Stories

When:  Thursday, July 16 from 11:00am-12:00pm

What: Touching Stories is a unique therapy model, specifically designed for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, that pairs the social and emotional learning of story with sensory integration activities in a way that is educational, engaging, and simply, a lot of fun! We have adapted our Touching Stories for at home use. Gwen and Meredith will first lead participants in a scavenger hunt for the sensory items needed for the stories (all items are common items found in every home) and then will tell the sensory-based stories to the group. Please see the attached list for scavenger hunt items. If you are curious to learn more, please watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcjzvevJ9_w&t=67s.

Instructions:  In order to participate, please follow https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86143640216 at 11:00am to participate. Everyone is welcome! Contact gwen.bonilla@supportinc.com or meredith.kane@supportinc.com for any questions. Everyone is welcome!

Friday, July 17

Pop Culture Group:  Cartoons and Animation

When:  Friday, July 17 from 12:00pm-1:00pm

What:  Pop Culture Group is an opportunity for clients to come together and connect over their common interests and explore new ideas at the same time. Come explore different styles of cartoons, animation, and comedy through illustrated art. We will learn, laugh, and watch in this upcoming session focused on cartoons and animation. This one is for the tv lovers!

Instructions:  In order to participate, please follow https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88042448634 at 12:00pm to participate. Everyone is welcome! Contact meredith.kane@supportinc.com for any questions. All are welcome!

Items Needed For Thursday, July 16

We’ll do two stories:

Scavenger Hunt for How the Elephant Got Its Trunk!

Find the following items:

  1. A spray bottle
  2. Tongs
  3. A long sock
  4. Something that smells like flowers
  5. A banana or something that smells and/or tastes like a banana. Any fruit would be acceptable!

Scavenger Hunt for Six Blind Men and the Elephant!

Find the following items:

  1. A spice tea bag, cinnamon, or something that smells like cinnamon
  2. A Hairbrush
  3. A piece of rope (or string)
  4.  A hand-held fan or a piece of cardboard
  5. A bucket or small plastic trash can
  6. A picture of an elephant (from a book, magazine or printed froma google image search)

Lay the items out in order.  Position the client so that (s)he is sitting within reach of a wall

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LIFE CLub Events This Week!

Join us for some upcoming virtual events! Check out our new Pop Culture Group on Fridays.

Please follow the links imbedded in this message to participate.

Tuesday, July 7

LIFE Club:  We are taking a break from LIFE Club for Tuesday, July 7. Join us again on Tuesday, July 14!

Wednesday, July 8

Moving and Grooving:  Diving into Summer

When:  Wednesday, July 8 from 12:00pm-1:00pm

What:  We will join together to discuss life’s stressors while improving the physical health of our bodies to create a healthy lifestyle by learning helpful social and exercise habits. Thisgroupwill incorporate a different movement activity every session. This week we are truly diving into summer! We are moving and grooving to some summertime music so we can be ready to hit the pools when they open. This is a great opportunity to be active during a virtual time. Adaptable for all abilities!

Instructions:  In order to participate, please follow https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85277454478  at 12:00pm to participate. Everyone is welcome! Contact ashley.treiber@supportinc.com for any questions.

Thursday, July 9

Touching Stories

When:  Thursday, July 9 from 11:00am-12:00pm

What: Touching Stories is a unique therapy model, specifically designed for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, that pairs the social and emotional learning of story with sensory integration activities in a way that is educational, engaging, and simply, a lot of fun! We have adapted our Touching Stories for at home use. Gwen will first lead participants in a scavenger hunt for the sensory items needed for the stories (all items are common items found in every home) and then will tell the sensory-based stories to the group. Please see the attached list for scavenger hunt items. If you are curious to learn more, please watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcjzvevJ9_w&t=67s.

Instructions:  In order to participate, please follow https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86143640216 at 11:00am to participate. Everyone is welcome! Contact gwen.bonilla@supportinc.com for any questions. Everyone is welcome!

Friday, July 10

Pop Culture Group:  Reflection

When:  Friday, July 10 from 12:00pm-1:00pm

What:  Pop Culture Group is an opportunity for clients to come together and connect over their common interests and explore new ideas at the same time. Come explore different styles of music and comedy for the next six weeks as we discuss, sing, dance, and laugh. Let’s take some time to reflect on all that we’ve experienced in the last few weeks. We want to hear your likes and dislikes and discuss our next topic for this group! This will end our comedy and music session.

Instructions:  In order to participate, please follow https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88042448634 at 12:00pm to participate. Everyone is welcome! Contact meredith.kane@supportinc.com for any questions. All are welcome!

Items Needed for Thursday, July 9

We’ll do two stories:

Scavenger Hunt for Little Red Riding Hood!

A Red piece of fabric (big enough to be placed around head and shoulder)

A clove of garlic or garlic powder

A stick or tree branch

Something that smells like flowers

A blanket

A piece of wood or other hard surface

A beach ball or other large ball

A cloth glove

A toothpick

A pillow

Scavenger Hunt for Henny Penny!

Wooden Spoon

Empty box or Hardcover book

Something round like a nut

Shirt with a pocket

String

“Pail” or a Jar or a bowl

Berries or something that smells like berries

Nails/Screws/etc

Buttons

Something Furry/Soft

And get ready to make animal noises for a chicken, a duck, a cow, a goose, a pig, a sheep, and a fox

2019-coronavirus (1)

COVID-19 Updates

From CEO Bentley Smith:

Great job to everyone following the recommended infection control protocols by the Centers for Disease Control and local guidance published by the Colorado Department of Public Environment (CDPHE).  We have had some close calls, but no major known exposures or outbreaks. 

Looking forward to the upcoming summer season, and the lowering of restrictions in our communities, it is imperative that we continue to remain vigilant.  This means following the infection control standards, making informed decisions about activities you may be considering, and discussing your activities with your Support, Inc. team when needed.  The individuals that we serve are considered highly vulnerable to COVID-19, and therefore we all must diligently follow the guidance and limit everyone’s exposure to stop the spread.

You can visit Support, Inc.’s website for the latest news and information, or the CDPHE website for more COVID-19 related information.  Links are below:

Link to Support, Inc. Newsfeed

Link to CDPHE’s COVID-19 Website

We also have our updated screening questions to be used before entering client homes. We will use this same screening tool for visitors entering our offices. For any questions on the screening assessment, please contact Laura at Laura.Viers@supportinc.com