Help me to be independent.
Our teens and adults with disabilities mostly want to live and work on their own but they just need our help to move them along that path.
If you have a loved one that is nearing adulthood or you are struggling to help your loved one get the skills they need to be on their own, here are some things to start working towards. Maybe you are the one reading this and you are the one that needs help.
Daily Living Skills - Make sure they can do these daily skills on their own: Bathing, Brushing Teeth, Picking out their own clothes, Doing Laundry, Cooking and Monitoring food in the refrigerator, Transportation needs and Money management. Now, all of these skills need to be mastered for each step of them. For example, bathing - maybe they can get in a shower and have the water fall on them, but they don't know how to fully wash their whole body with soap.
Social Skills - Make sure they can advocate for themselves. They need to be able to order food or say something if the correct change wasn't given back to them. The skills of finding social things to do is important as well. Are you involved in your church life groups or sport events? Do you volunteer for any organizations to give back? These are just a few examples of putting yourself out there to be social and at the same time give your time to others.
Building Pathways is a great place to start to help teach you those skills. For more information about how we can help contact us at buildingpathwaysinfo@gmail.com .
