Thousands of young adults enter into group homes every year because they are too old for parents to care for at home, or because they have become too difficult for the parent to care for. Sadly, many of these young adults have behaviors that are correctable, regardless of their diagnoses. When they enter a group home, the staff members become the targets of these behaviors.
The staff often end up in an emergency room because they do not have the tools to prevent or stop the behaviors safely. If you are experiencing problematic behaviors from a resident in your group home, here is what you need to do next to keep staff and other residents safe, control unwanted behaviors, and perhaps even eliminate the behaviors completely.
ABA Therapy Services
ABA, or Applied Behavioral Analysis, therapy is a very effective approach for dealing with those that have autism, Tourette's, Down's, or others who exhibit aggressive and violent behaviors. A therapist spends time observing the group home resident and getting to know him/her as a patient. The therapist analyzes what triggers this person to behave in less-than-expected ways, and uncovers what motivates the resident to behave better. The therapist then writes up a treatment plan for staff to follow.
In-House Therapy and Home Visits
If the resident is verbal, the treatment plan provides for office therapy visits and for approaches staff can use in the group home. If the parents of the resident visit frequently, or if they still take the resident for home visits on the holidays and weekends, they are also given a copy of the approaches and the treatment plan. Remaining consistent across the board with treatment is what keeps the resident on track for improvement. Parents and/or guardians are a vital part of making the behaviors better.
Introducing Tasks for Expected Behavior and a Reward System
Everyone is motivated by something, even children with special needs. Maybe it is time out of the group home for shopping at favorite stores, or maybe it is a bag of candy if goals are met. Whatever rewards will motivate the resident to behave better become part of the ABA therapy services treatment. If necessary, the rewards and/or motivations may change often if old rewards and motivation begin to fail. Understanding that not everything works all the time with every resident in the group home is a big part of this process, and a big part of its success.
Share17 April 2018
My husband and I recently moved his mother to an assisted living facility. My name is Audrey Martin, and I am going to share our experience with you. My mother-in-law is eighty-two years old. She has been living on her own for twelve years since her husband passed away. My husband, David, is her only child. That left us in charge of making this decision for her since she has declined to the point of not being able to make sound decisions on her own. I’m not going to tell you that it’s been easy, but I will say that it can be done. I hope that what I’m about to share proves to be helpful to you should the time come that you are the one moving a loved one to an assisted living facility. Thanks for stopping by!