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Support starts at home FASD clients should have own residence, says motherKassina Ryder Northern News Services Published Monday, Oct 08, 2012
"It's kind of hard," he said. That's why he has been keeping a journal of his life to practice his writing and memory skills at the Yellowknife Association of Community Living. Narine Margaryan is the association's co-ordinator of FASD services. She said the organization serves approximately 25 families per year and has two main projects. This is the second part of a three part series looking at fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in the NWT. The Living and Learning with FASD project provides information to families, which include presentations. Margaryan said the group partnered with the Health Department to provide teleconferencing services to families outside of Yellowknife so they can also participate in discussions and listen to presenters. Margaryan said the organization is now aiming to use Skype, which will allow families to access the presentations and watch them in their own homes. The other project is a weekly support group, during which families get together and do everything from cooking together to going on field trips. Pat Struss, Christopher's adoptive mother, said for her family, the services are invaluable. "I love their peer support group and their job coaching program," she said. Margaryan also visits local schools to teach students about FASD, including its affects on behaviour. Classmates then gain a better understanding of how to communicate with a friend who has FASD. "They can have problems with memory, attention or judgement, so if you've asked them not to do something, they might forget and do it again," she explained. Christopher spends time at the association of community living and said he encourages others with FASD to take advantage of its programs. "Come to the centre and do some crafts or writing," he said. The association also provides support for individuals who want to live on their own. Bonnie-Sue Curran is the Support Living Services co-ordinator. She said while the program doesn't just focus on FASD, there are two options available for people with disabilities wanting to live on their own. Those in the Independent Living program live in their own homes and have approximately five hours of staff help per week, while those in the Supported Living program live with roommates and have staff help 24 hours a day. The Yellowknife YWCA also has a supported living program. Strus said getting a spot in a residential home can take three years and once a spot is secured, there is always a risk of an individual with FASD getting kicked out due to behavioural problems. Because individuals can find remembering difficult, breaking the rules can sometimes be a problem. Strus said ideally she would like to see a home specifically geared to support individuals with FASD. "There isn't an appropriate living situation for people with FASD who need the kind of help that my kids do," she said. "That's a challenge for me and a lot of families." Strus said it's also difficult for group home managers and other group home residents. "It's a bit of a challenge because their disability is different than the other individuals in the home with them," she said. "It's challenging for the operators at the group home. They're doing a great job of trying to accommodate that." See next week's issue of News/North for the third part of our series on FASD.
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