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| Riverside
Family Support Program |
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The primary goal of Family Support is to enable
people with disabilities to stay together with
their families and to be welcomed, contributing
members in their community. Family Support services
help parents and caregivers to provide assistance
in their own home for a child or relative with
a developmental disability. Funding for the program
is provided by the Massachusetts Department of
Mental Retardation (DMR). Our goal is to provide
the particular resources necessary to support each
family’s efforts. |
Who is eligible?
Riverside Family Support services
are available to any family that has a member living
in the home who is eligible for services through the
Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation.
The cities and towns we serve are:
| Metro
North |
|
Central
Middlesex |
| Everett |
|
Acton |
Maynard |
| Lynnfield |
|
Arlington |
Stow |
| Malden |
|
Bedford |
Wilmington |
| Medford |
|
Boxborough |
Winchester |
| Melrose |
|
Burlington |
Woburn |
| North Reading |
|
Carlisle |
|
| Reading |
|
Concord |
|
| Saugus |
|
Lexington |
|
| Stoneham |
|
Lincoln |
|
| Wakefield |
|
Littleton |
|
Our Services
- Information & referral-
We offer access to information on other services
in the community.
- Lending
library- We have a
library of books, CD’s, DVD’s, and software covering
a wide variety of topics, including how to deal
with difficult behaviors, sensory integration,
parent and sibling issues, social skills, etc.
- Flexible
funding- This service
enables families to tailor services and supports
to their unique needs, such as the purchase of
adaptive equipment, recreational activities, membership
fees, specialized nutrition, vehicle modifications,
etc. within the DMR Family Support guidelines.
- Respite- Provides
temporary relief to families/ caregivers of individuals
with developmental disabilities and may provide
skill training to the individual. Respite services
may be delivered either in-home or out-of-home.
- Parent/
Caregiver workshops- We
offer a variety of workshops throughout the year.
- Kids’
newsletter- Our quarterly
newsletter is created by parents for parents of
children under 18 with a developmental disability.
It is filled with parent stories, useful information,
resources, and activities.
- Gym & Swim- In
conjunction with Tufts University, the Gym & Swim
program helps provide a physical and social outlet
for developmentally disabled children ages 6 to
12 years old.
- “Respitality”- We
are able to offer families caring for family members
with developmental disabilities a much needed break.
Examples of some of the respitality services that
have been offered include a free one-night stay
at the Doubletree Guest Suites in Waltham, gift
certificates for local restaurants and special
event tickets.
- Recreational
and therapeutic groups- Recreational
and therapeutic groups are run at different times
during the year. Examples of groups we have offered
include Social Clubs, Music Therapy, Art Therapy,
and Cooking Class.
- Life
Skills- Training classes
offered to individuals who are transitioning into
adult DMR services or, ultimately, into an independent
living arrangement. The classes meet for 2 hours
once per week for forty weeks. The curriculum includes
Social Skills, Phone Skills, Money Management,
Grocery Shopping, Cooking, Nutrition, Household
Chores, Hygiene, Home Safety, Community Safety,
and Laundry Skills. Instructors use a variety of
materials to teach the classes of 8 to 15 students.
The small student to instructor ratio allows for
the opportunity to provide individualized attention
as needed. A multi modal teaching approach is used.
Our teaching tools include role-play, cards/ games,
computer software, board games, and video/ DVD,
to reinforce curriculum topics. The curriculum
is also enriched by several field trips. These
include trips to the grocery store and the laundromat.
The program is free to DMR eligible individuals
living in the Metro North Area. A fee of $10.00
per class is charged to those individuals living
outside of the Metro North Area.
- Parent Advisory Committee - The Parent Advisory Committee serves in an advisory capacity to the Metro
North and Central Middlesex Family Support Programs. The Committee members are people
who have a family member with a developmental disability.
The Committee serves as an educational resource to
other families, service providers, and the community
at large.
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