Services for People with Disabilities who are Hispanic or Latino
In 2005, an independent 39-year-old man was hit by a car while walking across the street. After being in a coma for three or four days, he woke up in the hospital; he doesn't remember the accident. Due to being hit by a car, his lower body was severely damaged. His left leg required placement of a metal rod inside of it to stabilize it and he had to have surgery on his right hip as well. The customer stayed in the hospital for three to four months to recover from his injuries. Medical staff told him he was lucky to survive the accident. After being discharged from the hospital in a wheelchair, he went to a nursing facility to further recover and rehabilitate. Although he participated in extensive physical therapy, he continues to have lasting injuries and pain from the car accident. Currently he can only stand with a walker for a very brief period and has never recovered the ability to walk.
After residing in the nursing facility for about three years, he discharged to his nephew's home. For the next several years, he moved in and out of several other family members homes. He became frustrated and upset because none of his family members had homes that were wheelchair accessible. All their homes either had stairs or they lived on the second floor. Due to this inaccessibility, he was left inside most of the time. Ultimately, he decided to go back to residing in a nursing facility. During this last nursing home stay, he was assigned a case manager from Trilogy. His case manager, whom he is still in contact with today, explained the Williams and Colbert consent decree and what services could be provided to him. He agreed to participate in the assessment process and received a qualifying score to be eligible for services from the Home Services Program. Shortly afterwards, his Trilogy case manager helped him find a wheelchair accessible apartment. He has now lived independently in his apartment for over three years and is happy there.
Since transitioning out of the nursing facility, he has gained some of his independence back. Although he cannot walk and still utilizes a wheelchair for mobility, his upper body strength has increased. This increase in strength has allowed him the ability to complete most of his activities of daily living (ADL)'s independently, thus also improving his confidence and self-worth. He utilizes his Homemaker services to help with meal prepping and cooking, washing his laundry, cleaning his apartment, grocery shopping, and scheduling his appointments. He feels blessed to have Homemaker services that allow him to continue to live independently and happily in the community.
