Community Living Services
Life Skills provides individuals with disabilities the opportunity to live in homes throughout the community. Individuals served enjoy living in the community as neighbors and friends. Community living services are individually-tailored supports that assist the participant with the acquisition, retention, or improvement of skills related to living in the community. These supports include adaptive skill development, assistance with activities of daily living including medication assistance, light housekeeping, community inclusion, transportation, adult educational supports, and social and leisure skill development that assist the participant to reside in the most integrated setting appropriate for his/her needs. Community living includes personal care, protective oversight, and supervision as indicated in the Individual Plan of Care (IPC).
Supported Employment Services
Having a job is great for both the individual served and the community! Life Skills assists individuals in finding employment and developing the skills necessary to be successful as an employee. Employment not only enhances the self-esteem of the individual, but is a great way to "give back" and become a more active member of the community. The outcome of using employment services is to help a participant find and maintain a job that meets personal and career goals. Supported employment services offer a variety of supports to assist a participant age 18 or older who, because of their disability, needs intensive support to find and maintain self-employment or a job in a competitive, integrated work setting for which a participant is compensated at or above the minimum wage, but not less than the customary wage and level of benefits paid by the employer for the same or similar work performed by an individual without a disability. Life Skills works along with the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) to find new opportunities for those we serve as well as through extensive community connections.
Community Support Services
Everybody likes to get out and about! At Life Skills, we strive to be active throughout our community and the State all year long. You can learn more about what we are doing on our Activities page! Community support services offer assistance with acquisition, retention, or improvement in self-help, socialization, and adaptive skills. Services include activities designed to keep participants engaged in their environment, develop and maintain relationships, and build on previously learned skills. Services shall be furnished consistent with the participant’s IPC, and include full access to the community to the same degree as community members who do not receive Medicaid home and community based services. Adult educational supports are an approved activity of this service.
Adult Day Services
Life Skills plans a wide range of activities and cultivates stimulating environments where people can grow and learn. Adult day services consist of meaningful daytime activities that maximize or maintain skills and abilities; keep participants engaged in their environment and community through optimal care and support; actively stimulate, encourage, develop, and maintain personal skills; introduce new leisure pursuits; establish new relationships; improve or maintain flexibility, mobility, and strength; or build on previously learned skills. Adult day services provide active, person-centered supports which foster independence as identified in the participant’s Individual Plan of Care.
Companion Services
Sometimes you just need someone to talk to or a bit of help here and there. Companion services include supervision, socialization, and assistance for a participant to maintain safety in the home and community, and to enhance independence. Companions may assist or supervise the participant with tasks such as meal preparation, laundry, and shopping, but do not perform these activities as discrete services. Companions may also perform light housekeeping tasks that are incidental to the care and supervision of the participant. The provision of companion services does not entail hands-on nursing care, but does include personal care such as medication assistance, and assistance with activities of daily living, as needed, during the provision of services.
Individual Habilitation Training
Young people with disabilities are striving for independence on a daily basis. At Life Skills we help these individuals learn those critical skills for safety and independence as they work on the transition from their family homes. Individual habilitation training is a specialized 1:1 intensive training service to assist a participant with the acquisition or improvement in skills not yet mastered that will lead to more independence and a higher level of functioning. Individual habilitation training services are available for participants who live with unpaid caregivers or who need less than 24-hour paid supervision and support.
Respite Services
Everyone needs a break sometimes. Taking care of people is hard work! Life Skills can provide primary caregivers with the much needed rest they require so they can recharge their batteries! Respite services are intended to be utilized on a short-term, temporary basis to provide relief for an unpaid caregiver from the daily burdens of care. Respite is also available to non-accredited providers of community living services. Respite includes assistance with personal care and activities of daily living (ADLs), medication assistance if needed, and supervision.
