are you the parent of an intellectually disabled adult?

[suz]

i’m putting together a business plan which will enable me to provide a home with horses for adult women who cannot live independently without support and supervision.
any things you as a parent would want to see or not see on a website would be of great value, so please feel free to pm me or post here.

my goal is to build a community of women in a farm home. jobs are available nearby for those who wish to work off site, vacations and outings and shows for those interested in that. mainly i seek to provide a safe haven and support for women who have that little girl light in their eye when it comes to the ponies.
tia for your feedback, it’s important and i appreciate it.

i already do and love this work but haven’t been lucky enough to find a client who is nuts for horses, so i’m going outside the agency and seeking private placements, hence the website.

[JSwan]

I’m not a parent of one.

But I was the niece of one. She was born in a time when such people were put away, but my grandparents wouldn’t hear of it and kept her at home.

She died a few years ago. These days she could have easily lived in a group home with supervision, and I can tell you that at least in her case, she would have been very happy. Especially if there were animals around.

I don’t have any advice or suggestions, I just want to wish you success. In the memory of Aunt Pam. :sadsmile:

[rebecca_yount]

I am a psychologist and work with intellectually disabled adults all the time. Have for 30 years. They mostly live in group homes in Washington, DC. I also founded and operated a therapeutic horseback riding program for 7 years. Sometimes my group home clients came to ride, and we did an exhibition at Gunston Hall in Virginia where we demonstrated what we do with one of the DC people. ID people really deserve to get to live in the country, and have animals. I think yours is a great idea–wish you were around here because I would help you. Rebecca

[lizathenag]

As a mother of an adult child living in an assisted living facilities, my concerns would be the cost and if you would be contracting with the county for social workers and benefits etc. what would you be offering in the way of life skill training?

[suz]

hi and thank you for your responses!
my vision is a bit different from most, as i intend for each house mate to have their own horse. we will probably continue to board, (unless and until i move to a farm with indoor and trails available) and each person may have a part time job or volunteer work to do.

as for life skills, since i will be taking on adults i will be supporting the life skills they have already, and building upon them as they learn about horse care and riding and living in community with all that entails.
i am already living with people who need occasional prompting for personal care and meds, and my goal is to provide the lifestyle really. not ‘ladies who lunch’ but ladies who spend their time with their horses.

i have two one week long planned vacations in the budget, as well as regularly scheduled visits for personal care (facials, nails, massage and hair,etc).
a friend is a life coach who works specifically with disabled adults, we’ll use her services regularly for group or individual goal setting or discussion, and we can participate in special olympics if desired (though vermont has no equestrian division at this time, many other sports are available).
mostly i see my role as a home provider for women who could live somewhat independently, but for safety and community their families place them with us.

we are seeking private placement and funding.
i hope that helps, please ask more questions if you like!