Enrichment – The Quality of Life
Day enrichment programs provide educational and enrichment activities to children during out of school hours, 2:00-6:00 p.m. and throughout the day during teacher workdays, select holidays, and summer break. These programs enable families to maintain jobs, knowing that their children are well cared for in a quality, fun, goal-oriented setting.
Adults are also supported with day programs from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. with creative activities, community involvement, and a variety of enrichment programs. Whether learning basic job skills or gardening in our greenhouse, each of our adults’ lives are enriched by devoted, caring, and professional staff members in a stimulating environment. Many adults enjoy painting in our art studios and creating beautiful pottery pieces while others may be rehearsing for an upcoming play in our drama program.
LifeSpan Residential Services enables people we support to live in a group home setting within their community of family and friends. Our 24-hour a day group home staff provides these individuals with specialized therapies, recreational and leisure activities, and training in and assistance with social skills, personal health and hygiene.
LifeSpan Community Alternatives Program/Mental Retardation Services strives to make people with developmental disabilities active members of their community. Through services such as one-on-one supported living, mentoring, pre-vocational services, and job coaching, our CAP/MR program enables individuals to be included in their communities. This program also provides families with support and education about working with a family member with a disability.
Case Management involves locating, obtaining, coordinating, and monitoring services that maintain health, safety, and well being in the community for an individual. The case manager facilitates a person-centered planning meeting that includes the individual, family members, and significant others about the types of natural and community supports needed. The team writes the plan and, once approved the case manager implements the plan and monitors the service delivery to assure quality care as well as the continued appropriateness of the service.
LifeSpan Farm – Therapeutic Riding Center offers therapeutic horseback riding which is a form of therapy that gently and rhythmically assists the rider’s body in moving in a manner similar to the human gait. Each rider is assigned a horse-leader and, depending on the skill level of the rider, may have one to two side walkers. Nestled in northern Mecklenburg County, the farm also is home to many animals at the farm that individuals from school classes, day programs, and group homes can feed, groom, and pet.
