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DHILS Consumer:
Steven Fields is in their 60’s and has been in a nursing home for over 2 years after their hospitalization. Since communication access [ASL Interpreters] was not provided at the nursing home, Steven did not know why they were staying in the nursing home for so long, or when they could move home. In November 2021, Steve found out their family had ended their apartment lease, cleaned out their belongings there, and that they would need to stay at the nursing home indefinitely. But Steve wanted to move out and live in their own apartment like in the past. Steve was feeling isolated at the nursing home due to having no communication access.
Steven wanted to move in with their sibling, so DHILS Staff helped Steve fill out an MRC Waiver Program application. In May 2023, after working with the MRC Waiver Program and CLW Transition Coordinator staff to ensure the apartment was Steve. Steve moved into the apartment with their sibling. Steven loves having a home and was grateful to DHILS Staff for “rescuing” them from the isolation in the nursing home.
DHILS Staff continues to work with Steven by providing additional services, support and resources.
DHILS Interns:
Northern Essex Community College (NECC) Deaf Studies/ASL/English interpreting students:
We’re very grateful to Freddi Koss and Sydney Leith, our NECC Deaf Studies/Interpreting student interns, for joining our team and assisting us with various projects throughout the semester, such as researching mainstream schools with Deaf/hard of hearing students for future outreach and reviewing and revising some of our workshop PowerPoint presentations. We enjoyed working with them, especially during their opportunities to meet, work with and observe DHILS staff’s appointments with different consumers, and some training provided by DHILS staff, and other meetings. Hopefully, Freddi and Sydney will keep in touch, visit and maybe even volunteer with us in the future.
Newsletters and Email Blast Updates:
DHILS staff continued sending monthly What’s Up Newsletters and Event fliers, and sending email blast updates as needed to keep consumers informed and exchange resources with our DHILS Network.
Is there anything happening in your geographic region now, or that you think might happen soon, that MCDHH should be aware of?
CLW DHILS staff has continued working hybrid (remotely and 1-2 days in the office/on the road), meeting in the office
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