Online Registration is now OPEN for Camp Progress 2014!

Progress' Camp Progress for youths with intellectual disabilities opens June 9. Registration is open now!

Though the cold persists, parents - and especially their sons and daughters - are already thinking about warmer days. So, Progress  is inviting families to register their child online now for Camp Progress.

The secure website portal is held by the experts at Eventbrite, and allows parents to fill out information about medication and dietary needs, review camp deadlines and policies and securely and conveniently pay for registration and camp fees.

We are excited to bring Camp Progress back to even more young people with intellectual disabilities this summer. Art therapy, water play and tennis camp will return this summer. We have also learned that the wonderful folks at the Nashville Ballet will offer lessons and learning opportunities for campers this summer! Thanks to Nashville Ballet, Metro Nashville Public Schools, Metro Parks, Kroger and numerous other partners in helping us create a summer full of  “cans” instead of the “cannots.”

The 6-week camp will be held from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. June 9, 2014-July 18, 2014. To register visit, https://campprogressnashville.eventbrite.com . 

For more information on Camp Progress, call 615-399-3000.

Governor Haslam Announces 1 percent Increase for DIDD Programs

Vanleasha, Mr. Harry and Shonda working on an arts & crafts project at Progress.

Gov. Bill Haslam just announced some great news for Progress Inc. and dozens of provider agencies throughout the state - a 1 percent rate increase that will assist in helping providers throughout the state that struggle to meet the costs of caring for people with intellectual disabilities. 

The governor shared the news during his State of the State address last week. The rate change would apply to the Home and Community Based Waiver, which helps statewide agencies like Progress provide day services, residential services and supported employment to people with intellectual disabilities. He also proclaimed continued support for the Family Support Program during the address, which is a lifeline for families who care for their intellectual disabled loved ones.

"Progress is thrilled and grateful that the Family Support program has been saved by Governor Haslam. This program provides essential support and respite assistance to families who ask for very little," Progress Executive Director Donna Goodaker said. "We are also gratified that in a time when government departments are still having to tighten their belts, DIDD will receive an approximate 1% increase. With the aging of people currently being served and over 7000 people waiting to receive services, any and all available funds will be well used.”
To thank Gov. Haslam for his effort to support and advocate for people with intellectual disabilities, you can write him at: 1st Floor, State Capitol Nashville, TN 37243, call him at (615) 741-2001 or e-mail him bill.haslam@tn.gov.

Progress Asks: What Makes Your Caregiver Right For YOU?

Progress is starting a new Progress Asks series. Every Tuesday, we'll ask a question that Progress and other fellow senior care experts have answers for.

From our friends at Care In the Home www.careinthehome.com:

To remain active and independent in your own home

It sounds simple, but as our bodies age it can become a very difficult task.  The best approach to finding a good caregiver is to focus on two separate goals:

1) Satisfying the basic needs.
The skills of the caregiver must match the needs of the client at all times.  Suppose a client needs help in the morning with bathing, grooming, toileting, dressing, taking medications, making breakfast and some light cleaning and laundry.  The first priority is to insure that the client receives these physical services in a safe, efficient, professional and dependable manner.  Often referred to as Activities of Daily Living (ADL), this is the physical work that allows a client to remain indepent in their own home.  At Care in the Home, our clinical case manager performs a full needs assessment before services begin and keeps a detailed care plan updated throughout the course of service.  

2) Finding the personality fit.
Once the basic physical needs met, the fine tuning comes in finding a caregiver that "clicks" with the client.  Meeting with the client and family before service begins helps our case manager get a sense of what personality traits in a caregiver would best fit with the personality of the client.  When a client and caregiver click, it is wonderful but it can take some trial and error before that fit is achieved and it may never be as perfect as we would like.  Much depends on timing and what caregivers are available when a client is searching.  Having patience and keeping an eye always on the primary goal of independence in the home is essential in this part of the process. 

In addition, it is important to realize that a search for a caregiver is actually a search for a teamof caregivers because caregivers get sick, need vacation and must live their own complex and challenging lives like anyone else.  Experiencing good service from two, three or more caregivers can develop a trust for the team of caregivers that a company employs.  A client can then feel confident that any replacement sent will be competent and wonderful in their own way.  That might actually be the best kind of perfect. 

TN Scholarships for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

Teresa and Meredith Schlandt of Clinton. 20-year-old Meredith is in her second year at the FUTURE program at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, fulfilling her dream to attend college. like her older brother. CREDIT: Teresa Schlandt

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A bill that aims to create college scholarships for Tennessee students with intellectual disabilities is being considered by State Legislature. Among the supporters of the legislation is Tammy Day, who runs the Next Steps program for such young adults at Vanderbilt University.
"This legislation would open the doors to many more young adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities to have the opportunity to continue their formal education with their peers," Day said.
Funding for the STEP UP Scholarships would come from the state's Lottery for Education Account. Day says the cost would be recouped as the students gain employment and become taxpayers for years to come.
In all, the STEP UP Scholarships would help nearly 50 students a year with tuition, and they have several options on which school to attend. In addition to Next Steps, there's TigerLIFE at the University of Memphis and the FUTURE program at the University of Tennessee.
Read more about the future of the state's first college scholarship program for adults with intellectual disabilities here: http://bit.ly/133K56L