QA COrner

Tips and Tricks to Beat the Heat!

by Information & Resources

After a long cool spring and early summer, Colorado temperatures are heating up fast and it’s important to protect yourself and the person you support from heat-related illness. When possible, stay inside during the hottest parts of the day. There are some things you can do to keep the interior of your home cool such as, block direct sunlight by using window shutters or awning and keeping thermal curtains/blinds closed, increase airflow in the home by using electric fans and opening windows during the early morning/ late evening, using air conditioning and monitoring the indoor temperature. Heat related illnesses are preventable, knowing the signs to look for a responding quickly can prevent a minor illness from becoming a medical emergency. Common heat related illnesses include: heat rash (a skin condition caused by blocked sweat ducts and trapped sweat beneath the skin), sunburn, heat exhaustion (a condition that happens when your body overheats) and the most serious of heat related illnesses heat stroke (occurs when the body can no longer control it’s temperature causing the body’s temperature to rise rapidly and become unable to cool down-requires immediate medical care). To learn more about these types of heat related illnesses, how to identify signs and symptoms and what to do click here.

Tips to prevent heat related illness:
1. Stay indoors, in a cool place during extreme heat.
2. Drink plenty of water. Dehydration is the primary cause of heat exhaustion. High temperatures increase the risk of dehydration.
3. Apply sunscreen every day. Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours throughout the day especially if you’ve been swimming or sweating.
4. Wear lightweight, light-colored and loose-fitting clothing.

Recent News

Celebrating Disability Pride Month!

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Happy Disability Pride Month! Celebrated each year in July, Disability Pride Month was established to recognize the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990. This month makes space to honor the history, achievements, and experiences of the disability community and break down the stigmas surrounding disability. Disability Pride Month also encourages us all to identify where ableism is still present in the systems and environments in which we live and consider ways to improve accessibility for all. Save the date for The Colfax Center’s celebration of this month and our community members with disabilities on Saturday, July 29! The celebration will feature speed friending, a resource fair, food, and performances. Follow the link below to learn more about this event and a peer support group.

https://lgbtqcolorado.org/event/hybrid-disability-peer-support-group/2023-07-14/

Capture

Softball Field of Dreams

by Information & Resources

A great opportunity for IDD individuals to play softball! This event is hosted by the Beautiful Lives Project which helps people with disabilities to live their dreams through sports and other programs across the country. On Wednesday June 28, 10am-12pm, in Aurora, CO, they are hosting an event where 60 adults and children with any disability can play on the field with AAU softball players as a part of a summer tournament put on by Triple Crown Sports. The individuals with disabilities will have the opportunity to learn softball skills from high school softball players from across the country and to create friendships that will last a lifetime. Follow the link below for more information and to register.

Field of Dreams Softball with Triple Crown Sports — Beautiful Lives Project

 

Eric

Eric Works at Ball Arena!

by Information & Resources

We want to congratulate and highlight Eric’s work at Ball Arena! Eric has been receiving services from Support Inc. for 2 years and has enjoyed his time working with our agency. We want to take some time to spotlight Eric’s incredible employment accomplishment. Eric started working at Ball Arena in November 2022, and has excelled in his time working there. Eric oversees certain sections of the arena and assists people, so they are in the appropriate place, don’t go into sections they’re not supposed to, and don’t take alcohol past certain points in the stadium. Eric’s favorite part of the job is being able to socialize with people and interact with his local community. He also enjoys utilizing Access-A-Ride to independently get to and from his job. Eric also gets a front row seat to Nuggets and Avalanche games, plus concerts and shows! Although his job can be stressful at times, he loves the fun atmosphere that always exists within Ball Arena. The passion and dedication he has for his job is unmatched and an inspiration to us all. In his free time, Eric likes to watch movies, read, go for walks, go out to eat with his friends, and engage in photography. We look forward to watching Eric continue to grow and excel inside and outside his job at Ball Arena.

 

Ryan Pic 2

Ryan Celebrates a Year Living Independently

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Ryan Berg switched residential agencies to work with Support Inc., seeking to live an independent lifestyle in an apartment setting. Ryan has been with Support Inc. for a little over a year and has been such a great addition to the Support Inc. Family. Throughout the year Ryan has been thriving living on his own, utilizes all his services, communicates well with his team members and gets himself out into the community by choosing to participate in events that sparks his interests. Some of those events include participating as an athlete with Colorado`s Special Olympics, volunteering as a traffic monitor for his Church on Sundays or hanging out with friends and his brother. Ryan has been working with Argus Event Security for
over 5 years and is seeking a permanent position with them in the future. Ryan is a great role model to all our individuals that seek to live independently and live life to the fullest. The attached picture is from the 2023 opening game for the Rockies, which he attended with his brother! They are also planning a trip together this Summer. Congratulations to Ryan for his past, current and future successes!

QA COrner

Personal Property Inventory- The why and how

by Information & Resources

This month we are focusing on personal property inventory and some tips to maintaining inventory! Every person
receiving services who lives in a host home or independent apartment needs to have a complete personal property inventory in Therap.

Why is it necessary to maintain an inventory?
1. Waiver participants receive personal needs funds from social security. Colorado Department of Public Health
and Environment (CDPHE) regulations require that when a person receives these funds there must be a
complete, accurate and current inventory of all the persons’ belongings.
2. If the person ever moves, the RPC will review the inventory to assure all the person’s belongings have been
moved with them.
3. Maintaining an accurate and current inventory reduces discrepancies over who an item belongs to and assists in
the resolution of disputes and/or missing belongings.
4. If your home ever experienced a natural disaster such as, fire, flooding, tornado, etc, this inventory serves as
documentation of the person’s possessions which would assist in the recovery/ reimbursement of destroyed
items.

Tips to maintaining the person’ inventory:
1. At the end of each month, when organizing the person’s receipts to turn into Support, Inc. go into the persons
Therap personal property inventory and log each new item they purchased.
2. Each month, review the inventory with the person. If there are items they have donated or thrown away, update
the inventory to indicate the date and reason.

S&M

Celebrating Stephan and Melissa’s Special Day!

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Support, Inc. Helps Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Live Life to the Fullest! Please read about Stephan and Melissa’s wedding below.

“The Support, Inc. team utilizes a unique, whole-person approach that allows our caregivers to develop a deep understanding of each individual’s needs,” explains Kayla Ribron, Associate Director with Support, Inc. “We work with each of our individuals to identify and set manageable goals to help them make their dreams a reality. For Stephan Fury and Melissa Allen this meant finally having the wedding of their dreams after being together for five years.”

Stephan and Melissa have mild intellectual disabilities. The couple worked with Ribron, the Residential Coordinator at the time, and their Support, Inc. care team to plan the wedding. Melissa wanted the big event to have a country feel – she wanted to wear cowboy boots and incorporate the colors black, white and turquoise. It was also important to the couple to have the ceremony near water since that is where Melissa feels closest to her mother who passed away.

“We worked together to decide on a location for the ceremony and the reception,” says Ribron. “The special couple led the planning, tasted and picked the food, and enjoyed every moment. It was my pleasure to accompany Melissa and her maid of honor to the bridal boutique to try on and pick out her wedding dress. We even had a video call with Stephan’s mom to make sure she got to be a part of the experience. It was so special and such a privilege to accompany her on that special day.”

In September of 2022, Stephan and Melissa had a beautiful wedding ceremony and reception. Their families traveled from near and far to be there.

“The Support, Inc. team specializes in designing innovative creative budgets so the individuals and families we serve can utilize their waiver funds in the most person-centered way,” says Ribron. “Because of our unique structure, we were able to use Stephan and Melissa’s waiver budget to pay for the wedding including their honeymoon trip to travel to Galveston. Throughout their relationship, Stephan and Melissa have supported each other through thick and thin. They recently moved into a new apartment and are loving it. The love these two have for one another is unmatched. They help each other grow and learn and really listen to each other’s needs. It has been a joy to see their love and union grow and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for them.”