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| Read Our Story of Creating a Home for our Son |
When planning a home for an individual with disabilities, the cost of the physical housing is many times a surprisingly small percentage of the total expense.
There are 2 primary factors to consider in planning for lifetime residential options for your child with disabilities. They are:
- Supports required-the level of assistance they need in order to manage their day to day activities
- Your financial resources
Assessing Supports
The support an individual may require ranges from medically complex situations or individuals requiring assistance in all activities of daily living to individuals in need of minimal supports.
Once you have identified the level of support required, you must determine the level of staffing necessary to provide this support. Staff is usually the largest expense to be considered when quantifying how much your child’s residential options will cost. There are planning techniques that may be used to maintain the level of services your child requires and contain the costs within your budget. One example of this is to find opportunities to change the ratio of staff to individuals. Since the quality of a program depends on the support staff, establishing the optimum ratio requires skill and experience.
Planning for a Rich & Meaningful Life
Most importantly, the goal of planning should be to reach beyond your child’s baseline needs and provide for them an opportunity for an enriched and meaningful life. This goal requires a great deal of time and garnering of resources. We are working at this goal right now and you may find it helpful to read about the process we have employed in planning for a home for our son James, in our blog, Diary of a Dream.
There is no one-size-fits-all best solution for all families. An investment by parents in a residence in which their child will live is a factor in their own personal tax, retirement and estate planning. The key is to determine the best situation for you and your family. If you have questions regarding your own individual situation, please give us a call.
