Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1982-12-01, Page 3Group horns aids in ddevelo BY JOANNE BUCHANAN It's been over four years since the Keays Street Group Home for mentally disabled adults opened in Goderich. Since that time, it has proven to be a successful progression from institutional living in the development of the mentally disabled. The large well kept five bedroom home, which is funded by the Ministry of Community and Social Services, accommodates nine residents, three men and six women, ranging in age from 19 to 50 and representing a cross-section from low functioning to very high functioning retarded adults. They receive 24-hour supervision by a staff of five full-time and four part-time employees. And they pay for their rent and maintenance out of their disability pensions. While living in the group home, the residents are taught life -skills -everything from meal -planning, shopping, cooking, cleaning and personal hygiene to banking, budgeting, traffic safety and community awareness. During the day, they attend the Arc Industries workshop across the street at the Kinsmen Centre. There they do contract work for companies like Sheaffer Pen and crafts like ceramics and wood- working which they sell. Gcoup.botne director Margot Smith explains that each person v. cornea to, live in the home is, first. assessed according to his or her needs and strengths. An individual program is then designed for that person based on those needs and strengths. Regardless of the individual's level of functioning, all are treated with the respect accorded to adults. "You get what you expect and if you expeWhem to act like adults, teach them to act like adults and give them the dignity that goes along with being adults, then they will reward you by behaving like adults," Smith reasons. Everyone living in the home takes turns making meals and doing household chores and Mrs. Smith says no one objects to this. "When they first move in, they are made to un- derstand that this is their home and there are certain things they must do to keep it looking nice," she explains. She says that household chores are learned very quickly by the residents. "They learn by repetition so it is important to give daily instruction and to give it consistently," she says. From her own experience, Mrs. Smith has found that telling time and understanding money are the two most difficult concepts for the mentally disabled to grasp. It is not all work and no play at the group home. Leisure time is spent doing a variety of different things from watching t.v. to making crafts or playing the piano. Since social integration is stressed, the residents are encouraged to take an active pari in the community and many of them enroll in recreation board programs or night school courses. They also go strops la EST. 1975 GOLDSMITH -SILVERSMITH JEWELLERY DESIGNER, REPAIRS ASO CERAMICS. WEAVING. WOOD, ART. GLASS CANADIAN AWARD WINNING DESIGNER 524-4509 $$ WEST ST.. GODERICH, ONTARIO to movies, concerts and dances. Mrs. Smith explains, however, that none of t residents go out into the community unsupervised unless the staff is totally convinced that no per- vasion is needed due to thorough training. Mrs. Smith says she is very proud of her st f. She herself is a college trained mental retardation counsellor with extra courses in psychology. She has had over 10 years experience working with the mentally handicapped, including volunteer and later paid work with L'Arche group home m Stratford. Sh/ spends most of the day at the Keays Street Grottip Home doing administrative work and she also puts in a lot of time in the evenings because she doesn't want. to lose contact with the residents whom she says she has become very close to. The full-time day staff at the home are all well- trained people, explains Mrs. Smith. Some have university degrees, most have extra psychology cou>;ses, all have first aid training and all have taken and passed a week-long comprehensive course in working with the mentally disabled called Pass 3. The staff is always updating their knowledge with courses and seminars as well. The part-time staff, who work mainly as back-up for the full-time staff, are also.weartrained. A part-time- and full-time staffer are at the group home on weekends and two full-time staffers are on duty in the afternoons during the week. An RNA sleeps overnight at the home. "I don't want anyone to get the impression that the residents are unsupervised. Staff are here 24 hours a day," emphasizes Mrs. Smith. Since the group home opened over four years ago, three of the . residents have graduated to living on their own in apartments. They are visited every day by a support worker who works part-time at the group home and part-time as the apartment support worker. Mrs. Smith says residents are never put into the apartment program unless they are ready. She ad- mits that some will never be ready (in fact, a couple of the residents who moved into the home when it first opened are still living there). "They live here at the group home until or IF they go into their own apartments," emphasizes Mrs. Smith who doesn't want anyone to think that a resident would be put into an apartment on his or her own unless they were perfectly capable of coping. Mrs. Smith admits too that group home living is not for every mentally disabled person. There are some who need nursing care or who have severe behaviour problems who probably wouldn't fit it, she says. However, she feels that those who can and do live in the group homes, benefit greatly. They mature and learn how to function and cope in the adult world. As one of the parents of a Keays Street group home resident puts it, "When my son came to live here he was a boy. Now he's a man." GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1,1902 -PAGE 3 ment of mentally disable Drop-in centre planned for Bruce needy A drop in centre will be held at the Kincardine Town Hall Thursday, December 9 to review and discuss a feasibility study on the port requirements for the Bruce Energy Centre. The study was com- missioned by the provincial government earlier this year with an aim to determine whether the future need for marine transportation facilities for the Bruce Energy Centre and other regional needs could be satisfied by expanding an existing port or developing a new port facility. The consulting engineering firm of Mar- shall, aishall, Macklin and Monaghan Ltd. of Toronto was hired to complete the feasibility study. The study was designed to determine if the energy centre's Iran- sportation needs could be satisfied through a new public harbour near Douglas Point or through the ex- pansion of existing harbours in Goderich, Owen Sound or Collingwood. The drop in centre at the Kincardine town hall will be open from 3-9 p.m. on Thursday, December 9. Stick with us. Keays Street Group Home staffer, Maurice Ambeault supervises while resident Grace Stinson peels potatoes for supper. The residents take turns preparing supper and doing household chores. ATTENTION SENIORS NOW AVAILABLE DOWNSTAIRS DELUXE & PRIVATE ROOMS, SEMI'S ALSO AVAILABLE BOOK NOW FOR WINTER HOLIDAY HOME 482-3685 good things rff _ at b er prices [1E ❑❑❑ D 11] ett FREE DELIVERY FOR SENIOR CITIZENS MONDAY THRU THURSDAY CAMPBELL'S � / Cream of Mushroom Soup 10 oz. . 8 9 Coca Cola, Sprite or Schweppes Ginger ale 750 ML. 3/.99:;. Available Beginning Thursday TENDERBEST BONELESS BLADE ROASTS 1 , 89/LB. 4.17/KG. ALLEN (Reg., Macintosh) Applesauce Gloss 2$ oz. 1.39 ALPO Dog Food 140z. .49 CASCADE Dishwasher Detergent 1 kg. 2.69 CATELLI RC Macaroni or Long Spaghetti soo g..69 DELMONTE FANCY Bartlett Pear Hvs., Peach 28 oz. Slices or Hvs or Fruit Cocktail 1.49 EASY OFF OVERNIGHT Oven Cleaner 400 g. 1.99 GLAD Green Garbage Bag No. 1 1o's GLAD Kitchen Catcher 24's GLADE Solid 175 g. (Early Spring or Powder Fresh) FUTURE Liquid Floor Palish 450 mi.- GOLD i:GOLD SEAL Flake Light Tuna 6 o:_ IVORY Personal Bar 400 g. 1.59 1.49 .99 2.39 1.09 1.29 NESCAFE Instant Coffee 10 oz. 4.99 SUNKIST Navel Oranges 138's _..1.19 JOHNSON'S Pledge (Reg. or Lemon) 200 g! 2.29 LIPTON Chicken Onion. Onion or On Mushroom Dry Soup 2's .99 PREMIUM Sockeye Salmon 79/. oz. 1.89 RIGHT GUARD Deodorant Stick 7s g. 2.39 STUART HOUSE 10" Foil Wrap 25 ft. 1.89 HUMPTY DUMPTY Potato Chips 200 gr. .99 BLACK DIAMOND Brick. Colby. Mozzarella or Farmers Coloured Cheese Slices 170 g. 1.39 NEILSON Chip Dip 250 mi. .69 HIGH LINER Whole Cooked Lobster in Brine 200 g• 2.89 WESTON'S White Sliced Sandwich Bread 675 g. .69 U.S.A. NO. 1 Sweet Green Peppers U.S.A. NO. 1 Honey Dew Melons TENDERBEST Sirloin Steaks 5.27/KG. MAPLELEAF SP Cottage Rolls MAPLE LEAF Skinless Wieners 434 gr. OUR OWN COUNTRY STYLE Sausage (Plain or Garlic)' 49/LB. • TENDERBEST T -Bone or Wing Steak 5.71 /K 2.59 /LB. LAURA SECORD Pudding'4 x 5 oz. NABISCO Shreddies 500 g. RED ROSE Tea Bags 60's MAPLE LEAF (by the piece LIVERWURST STAYFREE Maxi Pads 10's 1.69 1.29 1.69 LB., 1.49 1.49 BLACK DIAMOND Single Canadian Cheese Slices 1 kg. 5.99 IMPERIAL Margarine Quarters 3 lb. 2.39 HIGH LINER Sole Fish Sticks 14 0:. SARA LEE Layer Cake 13 oz. WESTON'S Donuts 12's LB./.69 Rtemt O NO 1 LB./.13 U.S.A. �gs NOO. 1 Anjou Pears MAPLE LEAF Cooked Ham 175 gr. -ML( LEAF .. Breakfast flacon 500 gr. MAPLE,LEAF 1.69 Waxed Bologna -31'/100 gr. La./1.39 2.59 1.59 .89 LB./ 1.29 La./2.39 Lo./1.79 4/.99 1.49 2.49 FRit i2ELIVEF&lf 004 Wto$ESDAY wmi ORDERS S23.OD AND 4vti3 SUPERMARKET 104 SHOPPERS SQUARE-GODERICH 524-0411 We reserve the right to limit quan- tities. Prices in effect till closing Sat.. December 4. 12 or while quantities last. a During the day they work at Arc Industries located in the Kinsmen Centre across the street. (Photo by Joanne Buchanan) HWY. 21 SOUTH Jam_ GODERICH -synco (0111 SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY GIFT CERTIFICATE WINNERS For over 50 years your Christmas Seal donations have helped to fund impor- . tant medical research. We've helped to minimize tuberculosis cases and are moving forward in the fight against other lung disorders like emphysema, asthma, chronic bronchitis, and lung cancer. Your Christmas Seal dona- tions will help us win the fight. Millions of Canadians willbreathe a lot easier. Give to Christmas Seals. Your tLung Association • The Christmas Seal People' MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM CAPTAIN FAT'S AND STAFF Taking part in the Suncoast Mall's 7th anniversary gift draw on Thursday, November 25 were, left to right, Goderich mayor -effect Eileen Palmer; Metropolitan Store manager Frank Pontes; A&P assistant manager Bob Melick; Irene Hill Ladies' Wear manager Sheila Culbert; Woolco Catalogue Store manager Dan McPherson; mail •property manager Guenther Kastler; and vire-president, property management, Kilderkin Investments Ltd., Ron Outram. Ten winning names were drawn from over 5,000 entries. A4iP...$75.00 WINNER Eleanor Walter, Goderich " HEADS UP BEAUTY SALON...$25.00 WINNER Marion Stacey, Mitchell ORMANDY'S JEWELLERY...$25.00 WINNER Laura Lee Cayley, Lucknow LEISURE WORLD...$25.00 WINNER Judy Hawrvlyshyn, Ripley IRENE H1LL...$25.00 WINNER Dianne Cloet. Goderich DON'S SHOE PLACE.,.$25.00 WINNER Mrs. H. McCabe, Goderich NAKAMURA PHARMACY...$25.00 WINNER PaaI-Bvek, Sea1orth- . SUNCOAST FURNITURE,..$25.00 WINNER - Bernice Drennan, Lucknow WOOLCO...$75.00 WINNER Norma Draper, Clinton THE MET...75.D0 WINNER Margaret Williams, Goderich CONGRATULATIONS FROM ALL OF US AT THE MALL! Why not start your Season off right!! Come in & see our selection of Seafood for your Christmas Season. •FROG LEGS •CRAB LEGS •JUMBO SHRIMP, MED. SHRIMP • LOBSTER TAILS And by order only Oysters, as well as our FRESH LAKE HURON FISH •PERCH •PICKEREL *WHITEFISH iT UT •S-*LMON _--_ We will have fresh frozen s4i aft Vvii t`Ot 4111p110, j Captain,, , -;a•: 4. ,...„,l% outh loch - GOderich - t ..- - ` ) '