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Atwood
Being active, involved members of the Atwood community is a tradition at The Prairie Developmental center in Atwood. Located in Northwest Kansas, Atwood is a town of twelve hundred people situated in the Beaver creek valley. Individuals served will experience small town life and are known on a first name basis by people in the community. Individuals enjoy being involved in community life such as attending Atwood Buffalo Sports events and participating in the civic activities of the community. Some of these include the annual rod run in May, Knights of Columbus, Booster club and the fourth of July celebration at Lake Atwood to name a few. Individuals become active in the community while having the reassuring home base of the Prairie Developmental Center. The staff that work at the center strive to meet the needs of individuals served by providing opportunities for choice and encouraging new life experiences.
In the College for Living program we will offer classes that are requested by the individuals served and their parents and guardians. We will provide these classes and community activities that will expose the individuals to new life experiences in a fun and appealing setting. We will teach academic, life and leisure skills in group or if needed, in an individualized setting that stimulates the intellect and imagination of those served. We will also provide community classes that help the individuals develop community contacts and continued community involvement.
The College for living staff are committed to being involved in all aspects of the individuals lives we serve. We will be involved in the life planning process and work with all program areas. We are committed to providing services that are enjoyable and rewarding experiences for the individuals served and to developing a relationship with the individuals in which we can truly call each other friends.
Colby
The staff at Wheatland Developmental Center, in a professional atmosphere, strive to maintain the highest degree of dignity and respect for the individuals who come to learn from trained staff and other professionals in the community. We advocate for persons served by assisting them to become more independent in their daily lives.
Paraprofessionals provide one on one services to individuals who need this support. Staff are trained in the use of wheelchairs, gait belts, and other assisted technology. A paraprofessional trained as a restorative aide and Colby Community College Physical Therapy students help with physical therapy twice a week.
Paraprofessionals assist with medication and are trained as medication aides. Wheatland Staff are all trained in the essential areas for DSNWK and maintain 100% trained rate. Fire, tornado and disaster drills are conducted on a regular basis to ensure the safety of all who are at the Wheatland Developmental Center.
Families are important to individuals served at the Center and it is essential for staff to communicate with families as they come and go about each individual’s progress made during the day. We strive to assist individuals becoming more independent here. This includes completing tasks by themselves and having the time necessary to complete tasks on their own. Staff offer support througout each task. Paraprofessionals will also strive to teach patience and team work by modeling such behaviors.
Center classes provide a wide range of hands on activities and creative projects. Some of the curriculum addresses getting along with others, social skills, and a variety of classes to help individuals live more independently. Community classes encourage individuals to enjoy the community they live in. and sSome of these include bowling, library, walking, Farmer’s Cafe., and Also, several community members come to the center to teach, thus establishing friendships in the community.
Hays
The Hays CFL Program focuses on individual learning, choice making and independance. The College For Living provides a variety of services for the individuals we serve. Staff provide transportation to and from classes, doctors appointments, community classes and outings which provide learning opportunities for the individuals served in different settings.
Center based classes provide the opportunity to learn about subjects such as history, geography, arts and crafts, physical fitness etc. and community classes which are taught by businesses or individuals in the community, also provide an opportunity to develop positive social relationships with community members.
The Hays College For Living program advocates for individuals by providing appropriate staffing to allow for learning opportunities in programs areas such as Life Management, Transition, Community Activities, and Resource Room areas. In some cases, 1-on-1 support is provided. An important aspect of the College For Living program is health and safety. Services are provided by RN’s, CMA’s and RA’s, to ensure the well being of each individual. Other safety measures include tornado and fire drills on a monthly basis.
Hill City
The College for Living Department at Kobler Center serves a diverse population from individuals who need total assistance to those who live in their own homes.
People are provided with the classes of their choice in the areas of academics, life and leisure skills, and retirement options which will allow them to function as independently as possible. Paras are trained to emphasize health and safety, engagement, choices and decision making, and retirement needs within the frame work of each persons life plan.
Paras are educated to deal with a variety medical issues which include diabetes, depth perception, ADHA, Rhetts, high blood pressure, and aging. Those supports includes sensory diets, human sexuality training, OT, PT, emergency drills, and transportation. Paras are either CMA’s or medication aides who can assist individuals with their medications. The elderly are provided access to senior citizen events in the community and to an alternative schedule.
Staff strive to encourage character development by providing a loving, caring atmosphere which ensures the dignity and individuality of each person. Participating in the events in Hill City community is an important aspect of the College for Living Program at Kobler Center. Animal Science classes, Outdoor Wildlife Learning Site, Intergenerational activities with the school district, participation in the county fair, and church events ensure the participants growth as a valued part of the community.
Hoxie
At the Hoxie Developmental Center we celebrate life by supporting each others individuality, and by teaching individuals how to give back to the community whenever possible. Celebration flows throughout the day at the Hoxie Center enriching the lives of all who enter there.
The uniqueness of the individuals is emphasized in the variety of options available within daily routine of each person. Staff are trained in the basic medical procedures of first aid, CPR, and Mandt. The families of the persons at the Hoxie Center provide for their primary medical care. The majority of classes are either held in the community and are taught by a community instructor or held at the Hoxie Developmental Center. Hoxie Developmental Center is a valued and active part of the Hoxie community.
Norton
The paraprofessionals and their mentors believe learning is always possible. They have observed progress in mobility, independents and new skills. It is also the team’s focus for the individuals served to maintain and enhance current skills. Many individuals served in the Norton ICF/MR program do not benefit from an academic program that centers around reading, writing and math. The focus for the individuals are independence, work skills, social skills and self help skills.Those with academic skills enhance and maintain skills in Health and Safety class, Human Sexuality class and Self Advocacy class which are classes required by the College for Living. For those persons served who don’t benefit from a classroom setting these class objectives are addressed in support plans and taught incidentally. All individuals served have an individualized Class schedule. Quarterly goals have been developed to increase independence. The paraprofessional have developed detailed instruction on how to work with the individual in their classes. The details may include their learning style, how they react to the community, what is the best teaching strategies, what they enjoy doing and what they are successful at doing.
Independence/empowerment/self determination/choice
1. Teach individuals to be independent of the paraprofessionals.
2. Teach paraprofessionals to assess risk and monitor individualizes as they explore different environments.
3. Paraprofessionals must have the courage to let them make mistakes.
4. Identify and break down barriers (mobility, communication, inconsistent teaching opportunities, lack of individual teaching opportunities, inappropriate behaviors, overprotective staff, health issues, lack of staff creativity and inability to make good choices) that interfere with choice and independence.
Preferred Lifestyle
To ensure the individual’s preferred lifestyle is obtained, each paraprofessional attends life planning meetings and quarterly review meetings. Paraprofessionals provide support for the individuals during these meetings. They are also the voice for those whose communication deficit interfere with their preferred lifestyle. The paraprofessional advocates by providing information to develop the life plan. The team’s focus is on teaching individuals to be safe to enable them to obtain a safe and healthy lifestyle.
Interactions/Teaching Skills
1. independence
2. choice making
3. behavior management
4. social skills
5. eating skills
6. manners
7. money concepts
8. maintaining and enhancing current skills
9. relationships
10. providing functional activities individualized by abilities
11. break skills down into small tasks to ensure progress and reduce frustration
12. self motivation
Health and Safety
Health and safety is a priority for the individuals in the Norton program. KDHE and DSNWK’s regulations and policies have helped the Norton team to develop and provide the best health monitoring system. DSNWK’s training and monitoring system ensures problems are identified in a timely manner. Supervision for the purpose of safety has been identified in each individuals life plan. The paraprofessionals provide the supervision necessary to ensure safety. All paraprofessionals are certified nurse aides (CNA). This training helps paras to support and teach activities of daily living. Currently, four of the paras are certified medication aides. All individuals in the have some kind of medication that is given on a daily bases. This special training helps the paras to pass medications, monitor medication reactions and in general, oversee the health condition of each individual served. Three paras have specialize training as rehabilitation aides. These paras work closely with the physical therapist and do the hands on therapy set up by the therapist. The CNA, CMA and RA services are a daily routine for the College for Living paraprofessionals.
Record Keeping
The paraprofessionals are responsible for documenting progress on classes and goals every 90 days They provide consistent data keeping on teaching and behavior management programs. Health is monitored in the Activities of Daily Living records. Injury reports, behavior reports and marks of unknown origin are completed as needed. A daily communication log is kept to document the individual’s day so this information can be utilized by incoming staff. This documentation provides valuable information on each individual’s life and helps the team to accomplish each individual’s goals.
Oakley
The staff in Oakley maintain the highest degree of respect for individuals who come to the College for Living program. Staff advocate for persons served by assisting them to become more independent in their daily lives.
The paraprofessionals in Oakley assists individuals with transportation to and from classes. Individuals are employed in the community and may choose to come to a few classes each day. Schedules are very individualized and this makes it important for the paraprofessional to use information from the schedules on a daily basis.
Friends in the community are important to the individual’s served, and community classes are scheduled to allow for the greatest possibility of community involvement.
Russell
Pioneer Developmental Center is located at 15 N. Maple. Our goal, through College for Living, is to provide a setting where individuals we serve are treated with dignity and respect as they become more independent in their daily lives.
Paraprofessionals provide individualized support to those we serve. All paras are trained in First Aid, CPR, and Mandt procedures. Our para staff also consists of CNA's, CMA's, and RA's. We have a nurse at PDC to ensure the well being of our individuals. Safety measures include tornado and fire drills on a monthly basis, and the use of mechanical supports as needed, ie: lifts, wheelchairs, and walkers.
Center based classes provide the opportunity to learn about subjects such as Kansas History, the Constitution, Self-Advocacy, Basic Aid, Life Skills, Scrapbook, etc. Community Activities include: PE/Swimming at Fort Hays State University, Bowling at Playdium Bowl, Bingo at Russell Sr. Center, the Russell Public Library, McDonald's for coffee, trips to the Dollar Store and Klema Apple Market for groceries and supplies. These provide an opportunity for us to develop positive social relationships with community members.