Supportive Living Skills Narrative
LIFE SKILLS TRAINING Life training skills would be available to consumers who lack the training necessary to
function successfully on a day-to-day basis. These skills would consist of weekly house cleaning, cooking, sewing, laundry, shopping and childcare. CPSS would work in conjunction with the case manager and each case would be tailored to meet the individual needs of the consumer.
HOUSE CLEANING
House cleaning would be taught to consumers who lack skills in cleanliness, sanitation
and organization. Cleaning tools and cleaning products necessary to clean a house/apartment, would be taught as part of the program. The goal would be to impress upon the consumer the importance and the benefits of maintaining an atmosphere free of clutter and disarray. The consumer would have an opportunity to develop organizational skills and other transferable skills, while the Training Specialist would have an opportunity to observe the consumer at work. This training would be valuable in providing an atmosphere of order, which is a necessary ingredient in obtaining and maintaining successful employment placement.
COOKING
Basic meal planning and meal preparation training would be beneficial knowledge to all consumers. (Special dietary and health conditions are considered when appropriate).
General knowledge of kitchen appliances, cooking utensils, and the use of cookbooks are required in order to teach and train the consumers to prepare their own meals, (lunch for school or work). The particular would be worked out with the case manager and/or counselor. The goal, as always, is to assist the consumer in every possible way so that he/she can receive the maximum benefit possible from the session.
SEWING
Minor repair such as sewing a button, fixing a hemline or repairing a seam would be taught to consumers needing such skills. The focus of this training session would be to teach basic sewing repair and maintenance to consumers� clothing, so that he/she is able to keep attire in a neat manner, therefore, looking more presentable as a prospective employee.
LAUNDRY
The laundry program will involve teaching the consumer to use the washing machine, clothes dryer, and the iron. If the consumer does not have private laundry facilities, he/she may need to be taught how to use public Laundromats. The objective for this session is to teach the importance of caring for his/her working attire in a neat fashion so that his/her clothing looks clean and pressed, therefore, giving a good impression of the consumer to any prospective employer.
SHOPPING
The shopping session is designed to assist consumers with the necessary skills to shop efficiently for groceries, household needs, and work clothing. The objective is to better prepare the consumer for the job market by teaching skills necessary for everyday living.
CHILD CARE
The Child Care Program involves assisting consumers in finding appropriate child care whereby making it possible for them to look for employment and to work once he/she has been hired for a job. This may involve visits to the day care facilities where the consumer will have an opportunity to see the facility and meet the staff. This will aid in reducing some of the stress involved with starting a job.
HEALTH CARE
Health care training involves assisting consumers by taking them to get physicals, drug screens and other tests necessary to acquire employment. The consumer will be instructed on how to correctly complete physician forms, insurance forms, and other miscellaneous healthcare concerns.
PERSONAL FINANCES
The Personal Finances Program is designed to assist consumers with some banking procedures. Consumers will be taught how to open checking and saving accounts, how to apply for a loan, how to balance a checkbook, how to pay bills, how to keep tax records, how to file income taxes, how to go about purchasing a car, how to plan a budget, and the necessary math skills to complete minor day-to-day banking and record keeping. The goal is to ease the anxiety that consumers may experience as a result of lacking the needed skills to do their personal financing.
HOUSING
Training pertaining to housing is designed to help the consumer find appropriate housing for himself/herself and family. Many consumers are living with family members or struggling to make it on their own. Many times consumers are facing the possibility of an eviction. When this is the case, consumers are not capable of living on their own and may benefit from a group home or supervised housing. This would be discussed with the consumer, the case manager/counselor, and the trainer.
TRANSPORTATION
Transportation training is designed to assist consumers with transportation necessary for employment. This may involve training the consumer in the use of various forms of public transportation. This program is also intended to educate the consumers about various areas of car maintenance necessary in keeping an automobile operating efficiently. This also aids the consumer with the necessary transportation needed to remain employed.
SELF-ESTEEM
The Self-Esteem Program is designed to address issues related to self-esteem. Many consumers have dealt with tremendous amounts of loss and grief in the area of employment. This has definitely left them with low self-esteem. Consumers are unsure of themselves; therefore, they have a difficult time envisioning their future.
Stress levels are high, attitudes are bad, and motivation and problem solving skills are lacking. These problems compound an already difficult situation and need to be addressed before consumers can acquire the necessary skills to be successful in obtaining and maintaining a job. Direction is provided to assist the consumer in recognizing alternatives, the ability to make choices, and the decision-making process and consequences involved in the consumers� choices. The consumer will be asked to reflect on past accomplishments for the purpose of building self-esteem. Past experiences that are less positive will be reviewed for learning experiences. Reinforcement will be provided to help rebuild the consumer�s self-confidence.
JOB READINESS
Job readiness will address work ethic, personal grooming, company policy, and the importance of punctuality and attendance. Many consumers lack the understanding of such topics, therefore, making it very difficult for the consumer to compete in the job market.
SELF-ASSESSMENT
Self-assessment is designed to identify functional skills, values, career wants and needs, and transferable skills. Questionnaires and testing will be done in order to determine the
answers to these questions. Another assessment tool to be used will be card sorting. In this exercise, the consumer will sort cards into skills and areas of interest that they have and enjoy versus skills and areas of interest that they lack. The card-exercise creates an opportunity for the consumer to become familiar with the vocabulary of skills, and it offers a change from the pencil and paper exercise.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
The communication skills training is designed to equip the consumer with the necessary skills to operate a telephone, a copier, a fax machine and to adapt socially. Practice phone calls can be made to help build confidence and experience. Training will provide an opportunity for hands-on-experience for consumers who lack these skills. Listening skills will be discussed so that the consumer will understand the benefit in developing such skills. Although many consumers lack the skills necessary to communicate effectively in a social setting, this can be overcome with minimal encouragement and training.
ACADEMIC SKILLS
Academic Skills Training is designed to determine the reading ability and comprehension skills of the consumers. General math skills and the ability to count money and to make change will also be assessed. The independent living skills counselor and the case manager will determine which tests are necessary for each individual consumer.
SELF CARE
Self-care training is designed to provide instruction related to personal grooming and hygiene, proper bathing practices, appropriate dressing, and proper dining practices.
Many of our consumers will need assistance, support and training however, in these areas of self-care. The instructor will teach techniques that will aid in self care, thus empowering the consumer and positioning the consumer to be better equipped to interact with them socially and to be better prepared for the work environment. Appropriate self care is both necessary and empowering for our consumers.
HOME CHORES
Consumers who receive home chores training will learn how to keep their homes/rooms clean, operate a vacuum, and wash dishes, laundry, trash removal, lawn maintenance and any other necessary household chore. This training will enhance the consumer�s quality of life and provide the necessary skills needed to live in sanitary conditions. The skills learned in this session will increase a consumer�s opportunities for independent living. The training will provide the skills for individuals who are living independent, but who are not able to maintain a healthy, sanitary and safe environment.
EATING
This session will teach consumers how to eat a balanced diet, proper food storage and how to order food at a restaurant. Consumers will learn dining etiquette and social skills associated with dining experiences. They will be taught proper storage of left-over foods,
The training gained in this session will empower consumers and promote community integration.
MEDICAL
Training will include proper and timely dosage of medication(s), recognizing and reacting to medical needs, scheduling and keeping doctor appointments, managing medical emergencies, and basic medical treatment. The goal is to equip the consumer with the skills necessary to address medical issues as they arise. The expected results would be that the consumer would gain self-esteem, increase physical well-being and empowerment. It is expected that medical crisis would decrease and safe medical techniques would be gained while increasing the consumer�s awareness and independence.
COOKING
Training will include menu planning, smart shopping, eating nutritional meals, and safe cooking practices, using appliances safely, following basic recipes, special diets, and proper food storage. Consumers will have an opportunity to gain information that will promote healthy eating and safe cooking practices. The instructor will address buying techniques that will promote good economic and nutrition decisions. Consumers will gain skills that will increase health, increase safety, increase sanitation, and decrease dependence preventing hazard situations.
PERSONAL SAFETY
This session will address proper handling of poisonous chemicals, proper use of matches, appropriate fire alarm responses, fire safety techniques, emergency response techniques, proper handling of personal identification and other important documentations. The consumers will gain skills that will promote safety and increase independence. Additional, it is expected that the skills gained will reduce anxiety; and, reduce hazardous situations.