What do our services provide for our clients? Staff? Parents?
Indulge in these inspirational testimonies about changes happening at Laura Baker.
Finding the Potential—Joanne Sommers (Teacher)
Joanne Sommers, lead teacher here at Laura Baker Services for 17 years, was faced with an unfamiliar dilemma: how could she refuse to take on this particular student, one that was personally repellant to her? He had been enrolled in a school that shared the same building as her school, and she and her students had endured unbelievable verbal abuse from this boy. A county case worker was adamant that Joanne needed to take on this ten year-old boy; no one else could handle him. She wasn’t even convinced that the boy was developmentally disabled; she thought his behavior stemmed from emotional/behavioral issues. While looking reluctantly through his paperwork, she came across a long-ignored report that indicated there might be some developmental delay. The “no way, no how” became “well, maybe”. Click here to Read More
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Holding On, Letting Go— Glorian (Parent)
Glorian and her family appreciate
all the care Jeff receives: medical, nutritional, social, psychological, safety and daily living skill coaching that they say would be difficult for them to provide as they grow older. They are grateful for the role health services plays in keeping Jeff healthy. They appreciate the cleanliness and lack of stairs in his living area, and the air conditioning. They are happy with his entertainment options and that some staff has chosen to stay at LBSA for a long time, which adds to Jeff’s comfort.
Glorian and Ron are committed to raising Jeff within a family. Now they’ve found one they didn’t even know could exist. Click here to Read More
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Tom’s Family— Eileen (Staff)
One of our clients, Tom, had a serious problem. Tom had lived here, at Laura Baker, for over 20 years; he worked in the kitchen and he liked it. But the building where he lived was getting old and run down – it was going to be demolished, and Tom would have to move. He did not want to move – in fact, he refused. The very idea of moving was so stressful that Tom didn’t even want to talk about it. He was not moving. You might think we would inform him and command him to move, but that’s not the way things are done at Laura Baker. We serve clients, and they make choices. Our philosophy of care starts with “What does the client desire?”
Making choices is not easy for many clients, and for Tom, this one was particularly difficult. It meant breaking a comfortable routine and living arrangement, which stirred up a lot of fear. He had lived on the LBSA campus his since age 5. Click Here to Read More.
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The Power of Choice— Jacque (Staff)
Jacque Marin, a Household Director here at Laura Baker, wanted one of our clients, Jill, to learn how to make a choice. It was frustrating, because Jill wasn’t making any progress. Let’s use something simple and basic, Jacque thought – like food. So, at snack time, Jacque asked Jill if she’d like peaches or pears. Since Jill is pretty much non-verbal, she will usually just repeat the last thing she hears. Jacque discovered that if Jill is asked whether she wants pears or peaches, she will say “peaches,” not because she prefers them, but because that was the last thing said. Obviously, that’s not really making a choice. And at Laura Baker, client choice is a big thing. Click Here to Read More.
