Posts tagged: developmental disabilities

Please join us in congratulating Cheri and Joe Duran as our recent Host Home Providers of the Month!! The following write-up was produced by Niya with the Denver Metro 2 Team:

I have been working at Support, Inc. since late 2018. Since then, I have had the pleasure of working with Cheri and Joe Duran. During that time, working with the two of these lovely providers has been nothing short of amazing. From the first time I entered their home for a monthly monitoring visit, they welcomed me into their home with open, welcoming arms. I asked for them to bear with me and give me patience as I adjusted to this new role as an RPC. Cheri said, “Oh honey, no worries, you will be fine!” As the years have passed, I never stopped being amazed at how they manage their household with three amazing individuals who have a more engaging and active social life than I do! With Cheri, I never have to ask her to submit documentation of any kind, whether it is doctor appointment notes, receipts, HHP required documentation and etc., because she has already submitted it to the proper staff in the proper time frame. Working with Cheri and Joe Duran has been nothing short of wonderful. I appreciate how great and understanding they have been and look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.

At Support, Inc. we pride ourselves on helping our individuals reach their goals. When Jake reported that he wanted to live in his own apartment one day, Jake worked with his provider on self-medication administration and cooking skills, to prepare for this major transition. To help Jake make his dreams a reality, the team came together with Jake and his Mom to develop a plan. Dani and Jonathan assisted in the apartment search and ultimately, Mom found an apartment just a few blocks from her house in a convenient location. 

Jake has lived in Loveland for the last 6 weeks and is proud to relay what a significant life change this has been. He visits the local pottery studio to fire his own pieces and has made arrangements to work from home with a different pottery studio, about an hour south from his apartment. Jake works from home for Alternative Supports Pottery Studio, located in Aurora. He used to work onsite, but they’re allowing him to work from home, now that he lives in Loveland, until he finds a new job through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR). 

Jake greatly enjoys having more independence in a setting that truly belongs to him. When asked what Jake enjoys most about having his own apartment, Jake joked that he can make breakfast in his underwear, and there’s no else in the home to be bothered by that. Jake also gets creative online by filming, editing and sharing videos on Youtube, in the privacy of his home. Jake relayed how much he enjoys running his channel with hundreds of subscribers to boot.

After this next upcoming surgery, Jake plans to start selling pottery. For now, Jake visits his local pottery studio to have his items fired. When they’re unable to accommodate his items (due to not being able to fire certain types of clay), Jake will take his items to the rec center to be fired there instead. The pottery studio, Artisan You, is not too far from his apartment- once his pottery is baked in the kiln and cooled, he returns home to display the art in his living room.

Jake’s access to community-based activities and services has been a plus. It was important for Jake to be close to the grocery store, the bank, the bus route and his Mom. It’s convenient to cash a check at the bank when the walk is easy to manage. In addition, 711 remains open for midnight snacks, such as trail mix and donuts. When Jake doesn’t feel like walking to the store, it’s easy for him to have food delivered to his apartment.

Technology is not something that Jake has ever struggled with. He’s enjoyed taking advantage of Alexa, asking her questions and having easy access to the internet. As mentioned previously. Jake has his own YouTube channel he updates frequently with new homemade videos. Jake also plans to add a Ring camera to his front door in the near future; this will help him guide the Amazon drivers to the correct apartment, so his packages aren’t misplaced outside. The only thing missing at this point is a cat. Jake hopes to have a new pet soon, to keep him company while he continues to live on his own.

When it comes to living independently, Jake looks forward to preparing his own meals every day and having fun. He relayed a few of his favorite foods- pizza, ice cream and oatmeal, to name a few. He recently had bananas with oatmeal for breakfast, and when he’s not cooking by himself, his Mom will come over while he cooks, as well.

Jake relays that the best thing about this move is being closer to his Mom, friends and family. As an agency, we’re so happy for Jake and the success he continues to have! When Jake isn’t busy with his pottery, you can find him on YouTube, sharing videos and curating his super awesome channel at

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtRqIHtbE9sMwQVpIz5jR0A

We have more great news that we’re so excited to announce- Erik Nielsen is being promoted to the position of Director of Residential Services!

In this role, Erik will oversee all residential program services across all geographic regions. This in part takes over Brian’s previous responsibilities overseeing the residential programs. Erik has spearheaded many positive changes throughout his years at Support, Inc. in both the residential and day programs. We know that Erik will carry forward the progress made over the years under Brian’s leadership, and further the goals of the residential programs well into the future.

With our growth in services and people, both this past year and what we anticipate for the coming year, we have the need to evolve our infrastructure within the organization. As such, we are excited to announce that Brian Farestad has been promoted to Vice President of Operations. With this promotion, all program operations will report to Brian. This is aimed at supporting our growth, as well as ensuring consistent service delivery across all of our programs and regions. We have full confidence that Brian will continue to strengthen all of our programs and people, just as he has in his more residentially focused role over the past several years. Please join us in congratulating Brian in this well-deserved milestone!!

The Safety Committee is reaching out to bring you some interesting and helpful safety information! Each month you will receive an e-mail from the safety committee regarding different safety topics. If you have topics you think would be helpful to your Support Inc. team, or you would be interested in joining, feel free to connect with anyone on the safety committee!

January Safety Topic:

New Year, New Immune System!

While we might think we know everything about our bodies and keeping them healthy, especially during this pandemic, there are still tips, tricks, and general information that could potentially save our lives!

1. Be aware of some of the stressors in your everyday life. Ongoing stress makes us susceptible to illness and disease because the brain sends defense signals to the endocrine system, which then releases an array of hormones that not only gets us ready for emergency situations but severely depresses our immunity at the same time. A couple of mind-body therapies to help are relaxation exercises, positive thinking, behavior modification techniques, and social support.
2. Regular exercise is one of the pillars of healthy living. It improves cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, helps control body weight, and protects against a variety of diseases. But does it help to boost your immune system naturally and keep it healthy? Just like a healthy diet, exercise can contribute to general good health and therefore to a healthy immune system.
3. Z’s are another natural immune system booster. “Your immune system is like your computer — it needs moments of rest so it doesn’t become overheated.” When you’re sleep-deprived your body churns out stress hormones to keep you awake and alert, which can suppress your immune system.
4. Make sure to get your health checkups! As much as we (including myself) may despise the doctor, we need make sure that if there are issues, they are getting addressed in time. It becomes difficult to control/treat issues once they are at an advanced stage. But course correction at an early stage is much easier. 
5. Always read direction labels on your cleaning products! They are there for a reason, while we may think that mixing cleaning solutions will clean better, mixing certain chemicals can harm our lungs and our skin. Make sure to also check labels to ensure you are using the proper PPE (gloves, goggles, etc.) when handling the solutions.
6. Finally, just like mom and dad said, eat your fruits and vegetables! Fruits and vegetables are heavy in vitamins and nutrients and can help your immune system as well. Combining the right foods and supplements is key to staying healthy. Specifically, they are rich in Vitamin C, which reduces the duration of the common cold. 

The Safety Committee is reaching out to bring you some interesting and helpful safety information! Each month you will receive an e-mail from the Safety Committee regarding different safety topics. If you have topics you think would be helpful to your Support Inc. team, or you would be interested in joining, please reach out to you Residential Program Coordinator to connect with anyone on the Safety Committee.

December safety topic: Being safe with electricity!

Did you know 150 home fires per year happen because of holiday lights or decorative lighting, accounting for $8.9 million in property damage each year, as well as occasional injury and rare fatality??

Here are some helpful tips for you to ensure you’ll be safe this holiday season!:

1. Inspect all electrical decorations for damage before use. If you notice cracked or damaged sockets, loose or bare wires, and loose connections, do not attempt to use these as they are hazardous and may cause a serious shock or start a fire. Tip: LED lights are the best. Not only will they use up to much less power, but they run cooler, are less of a fire hazard and are long-lasting
2. Most of us use extension cords when decorating for the holidays. Do you know if your extension cords are properly rated for their intended use? According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, faulty extension cords cause 3,300 residential fires each year, resulting in 50 deaths and 270 injuries
3. Do not overload electrical outlets. Overloaded electrical outlets are the number one cause of electrical fires during the holiday season. Avoid overloading outlets and plugging high wattage appliances into one outlet
4. Never connect more than three strings of incandescent lights at a time. More than three strands can blow a fuse, and is also high risk to cause a fire because the wires overheat
5. Water your tree. Dry trees are a fire hazard!
6. Protect cords from damage. To avoid shock or fire hazards, cords should never be pinched by furniture, forced into small spaces such as doors or windows, placed under rugs, or attached by nails or staples
7. Turn off, unplug, all decorations and extinguish all candles before going to sleep or leaving your home
8. Keep candles away from anything flammable – especially a Christmas tree. Also pay attention to what is above candles; the hottest place is right above a candle. Paper, cardboard, synthetic fabrics and decorations can all easily catch fire

The people we serve have a wide variety of options when it comes to celebrating the holidays. Some individuals spend the time with their families. Others enjoy the company of their host home providers. For Jim, he enjoyed Thanksgiving with his providers, Juanita and Lendy! The three of them, along with two other individuals in the home, took an amazing road trip California. From Las Vegas to Disney, Laguna Beach and back to Vegas, Jim had quite the adventure in late November.

Jim enjoyed a week-long trip beginning with a road trip to Las Vegas. Juanita reports the majority of these details, on Jim’s behalf, with his permission. Juanita relays that they started with gambling in Las Vegas, people watching and spending time at the aquarium. The fish provided great entertainment in a calm and intriguing environment. Afterwards, Jim perused the strip and reportedly felt mesmerized by the holiday lights. 

The group traveled to Disney next. Between the Christmas Parade, shopping and meeting all the characters, Juanita described this as a highlight of Jim’s trip.

“We grabbed some funds from his trust, so he could shop at Disney Land. Jim looked great in his new Mickey ears, and we could tell he enjoyed picking out several souvenirs!!”

It was hard to pull themselves away from Disney, but alas, the show must go on. Jim, Juanita and the crew continued their adventure to Laguna Beach, their final destination. The weather was warm and breezy with breath-taking views of the ocean. Juanita took Jim and the other two individuals to see the beach, and they enjoyed a stroll along the sand. Juanita remembers their picnic fondly, with a blanket in the sand and yummy snacks for all to share. Spending time in Laguna Beach was calm and relaxing, a great way to wrap up the trip before returning home.

When asked what was Jim’s favorite part of his vacation, Juanita suspects it was Las Vegas and Disney Land. She relays this was very exciting for him. When asked what Juanita enjoyed most, she said, “This was first time taking Jim on vacation with us. We greatly enjoyed his presence, his smile and his enjoyment as we explored a few places together!” Juanita also admitted that returning to Las Vegas on the way back was fun, as well.

What makes this most incredible is, Jim is in respite with Juanita and Lendy, a temporary placement! We are blown away to their commitment of individuals in respite; it’s not every day that someone in a temporary home is able to travel to such nice locations. Jim has been with Juanita for the last 6 weeks and Jim will be given a choice where to live once that decision needs to be made, with Juanita as an option. To top it all off, Jim and their other two individuals traveled to Steamboat a few days later. Additionally, a Florida trip is in the works for next year.

Ultimately, we love to read of Jim’s adventures. We’re so happy for the care that Juanita and Lendy provide him, and we hope to hear of more travel in the future!

Support, Inc. is a residential service agency that provides support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. If you or someone you know could benefit from DD services in Colorado, please email us at Intake@supportinc.com.