Mom wants Texas institution kept open
February 11th, 2009From the Waco [Texas] Tribune-Herald:
Jacque Beavers, the mother of a woman who lives at the Mexia State School, opposes the closing of the state’s institutions and says her daughter would have no place to go if the facility were closed.
An excerpt:
Julie has lived at Mexia State School since 1976. Someone must diaper, bathe, dress, feed, and care for her every need.
Julie must be moved by two employees using a harness and mechanical lift device from her bed to the bath, dining room, and to her very large wheelchair many times daily.
Could you care for a person in this condition? I cared for Julie for 12 years. The task got so overwhelming I could no longer do it. The best place for my daughter is the place where she now resides.
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February 11th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
And why couldn’t staff who work in a community group home be trained to do that just as well as staff in an institution? Hoyer lifts aren’t that hard to come by (or to use.)
February 11th, 2009 at 9:00 am
It never ceases to amaze me that people insist that no other place could ever provide adequate care for people who live in institutional settings. It’s fear, not reason, that is behind these pleas to keep institutions open and funded. People with significant needs and disabilities are cared for in community settings all the time, and I would argue that their quality of life — and the communities that they live in — are enhanced as a result.