In his entire life George had never been to the beach. When Adult Day Services started piloting person-centered services, where staff works to facilitate participants making their own choices about daily activities, George made his wishes known.
“George communicates ‘yes’ by looking up and‘no’ by looking down,” Life Skills Coach Maria Juarez said. “He saw a picture of the beach and made it clear he wanted to go.”
Staff had been told he could not go out into community due to the size of his wheelchair not fitting on public transportation and concerns about his health. The staff figured out ways to address these challenges and arranged for George to go to the beach—for the first time.
As George looked at the ocean Maria noticed he was crying. “I asked him if he was sad. He (indicated) ‘no.’ I asked him if he was happy. He (indicated) ‘yes.’ His tears were joyful. I got emotional too,” Maria said. Learn more about our Adult Day Services here.
