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Heartland Independent Living Center, Owensville, MO

  MISSION STATEMENT AND GOAL FOR HEARTLAND INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTER.

 

“Accessibility for All”

 

·        HISTORY OF HEARTLAND INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTER

·        Independent Living Centers provide programs and services to

·        people with physical disabilities that will help achieve and/or maintain an independent lifestyle.  Many of our consumers are elderly.  A recent survey revealed that 75% of those ages 70 and older are dealing with physical disabilities.   There are many definitions of disabilities but a good generic definition is “a person who deals with challenges that affect their activities of daily living.

·        All Centers are not-for profit organizations operated by a volunteer board of directors.

·        “Nothing about us without us.”  Federal law requires that 51% of a

           CIL board of directors be people with significant disabilities, 51%

          of the Center staff must be disabled, and further, 51% of the          

          Center’s administrative staff must have a disability.

·        HILC was founded as a Branch office of DCAI (Disabled Citizens

·        Alliancefor Independence) in Owensville in 2002.

·        Missourihas 22 CIL’s each assigned a geographic area by Vocational

Rehabilitation (VR) Centers must provide the four core services you see in the brochure.

·        HILC became fully funded as Missouri’s 22nd and newest CIL July 1, 2006. We just celebrated our 5th anniversary.

·        HILC opened a branch office in Union, the Christopher Manhart

·        Office of Heartland Independent Living Center, in October 2010 to

·        serve Franklin County.

 

·        4 CORE INDEPENDENT LIVING SERVICES

ADVOCACY

PEER SUPPORT (both individual and group peer support)

INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS TRAINING

INFORMATION & REFERRAL

*TRANSITION IS THE PROPOSED 5TH CORE SERVICE

Additional programs and services are created based on the needs

 

·        ADDITIONAL SERVICES

-         AIR CONDITIONER LOANS

-         GUARDIAN ALERT EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION DEVICES

-         ASSISTIVE EQUIPMENT DONATION & LOAN PROGRAMS

-         ADAACCESSIBILITY AUDITS

 

 

·        SERVICES ARE FREE (Depending upon eligibility)

Independent Living Services are provided free of charge based on an individual’s needs.  There may be required deposits for loan programs or costs associated with purchases, such as assistive equipment, for individuals whose adjusted gross income exceeds the Center’s financial guidelines (those are 185% of the current poverty level)  

 

·        SOURCE OF FUNDING

-         Heartland receives an Independent Living grant from the Division

of Vocational Rehabilitation each year and has once again been

given a ramp and home modification grant from the Franklin

County United Way.  The majority of the Center’s operating funds

come from administrative fees for the Medicaid funded Consumer

Directed Services program.  Our Resource Development

Coordinator is a grant writer who is responsible for writing grants

to fund additional problems and services.

 

·        CONSUMER DIRECTED SERVICES

Started in 1999 this is a Medicaid funded program as are all attendant care programs in Missouri.  (Persons must be Medicaid eligible to receive CDS.)

Consumer become an employer and hire their own attendant(s).  

Individuals with disabilities direct and manage all tasks performed by personal attendants.  As mentioned, the person with the disability is the employer.

 

Requirements for program:

·        Must be at least 18 years of age

·        Must score at least 21 points on a DHSS Assessment     

·        Must be mentally able and willing to direct their own plan of care. This is determined during the assessment.

·        CDS services provide assistance with routine activities of daily living. 

·        Attendants must be at least 18 years of age and can be a family member but not their spouse.

Typical tasks include:

o       Getting out of bed

o       Dressing and undressing

o       Personal activities of bathing, grooming, bowel and bladder care

o       Meal preparation and eating

o       Transportation

o       Shopping

o       Household management

o       Other duties essential to maintain an independent lifestyle. 

Persons with disabilities direct and manage all tasks performed b y personal assistants.  As mentioned, the person with the disability is the employer.

 

·        NEW HILC IN-HOME CARE PROGRAM

-          We have received approval from the Division of Senior and

Disability Services to provide In-Home attendant care services as “HILC In-            Home Care.”

The service in 13 area counties began August 1, 2011.

-         Dedicated to helping family members keep loved ones independently at home with dignity and security. 

-         To receive services an individual must be Medicaid/MO HealthNet eligible, VA;  qualify for the Healthy Youth & Children’s program, Private Pay, and/or Private Insurance. 

-         Must be physically disabled

-         Services include:  House cleaning, Meal preparation, Laundry,

Grocery shopping, Assistance with grooming and bathing

-         Specialized care includes;  Transfer from bed to chair assistance,

Assistance with feeding and other personal needs

-         Benefits include:  Guaranteed staffing on holidays and weekends, as approved; Frequent management visits to ensure qualify to care.

-         Respite care programs are also available to qualified individuals.

-         Recipients receive support of all Heartland Independent Living Center resources.

-         This program  is monitored by HILCs  In Home Coordinator and the In-Home Care Registered Nurse

-         Aides are approved by HILC In Home Care and must pass in-depth background checks and have received over 20 hours of certified training.

 

         TRANSITION PROGRAM

-    Implemented earlier this year

-    May provide both financial and HILC services for qualified individuals with            disabilities to transition from a long term facility to independent living in their community of choice.

 

·        TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACCESS PROGRAM FOR TLEPHONE (TAP-T)

-   Eligibility Requirements:

+   Must be a Missouri resident

+   You must have land line telephone service in your home

+   You must have a disability or significant impairment that prevents you from

      accessing or effectively using basic telephone service with

      standard telephone equipment.

+   Your annual adjusted income cannot exceed $60,000 for an

      individual, or an individual plus a second exemption (spouse or

      dependent. For each additional dependent claimed, $5,000 can

      be added to the $60,000 base level.

 

·        RAMPS AND HOME MODIFICATION

-    Purpose is to make home accessible to individual

-         Ramps

+   Purpose is to make home accessible to individual

+   100% full time and permanent use of wheelchair for mobility

+   Statement required from doctor confirming need

+   Individual must own their own home OR if renting, live at the

     location one year and have written permission of current

     landlord

-         Home Modifications

+   Such as bathroom modifications (walk or roll-in showers, high rise toilets, pedestal sinks; widening doorways within the home to provide more access and

     independence

+  Requires signed statement from doctor confirming need for

     modifications to living space

+   Individual must own their own home OR if renting, have

 written permission of current landlord

 

·        SOURCE OF FUNDING

-         Heartland receives an Independent Living grant from the Division

of Vocational Rehabilitation each year and has once again been

given a ramp and home modification grant from the Franklin

County United Way.  The majority of the Center’s operating funds

come from administrative fees for the Medicaid funded Consumer

Directed Services program.  Our Resource Development

Coordinator is a grant writer who is responsible for writing grants

to fund additional problems and services.

 

Heartland is not here to request financial assistance, but we are here to ask for your help.  The vast majority of people in our communities are not aware  of HILC’s or the services we offer, or that the services are free.  On behalf of Heartland, I want to thank you for your time. In closing I’d like to make this request; now when you talk to someone or hear about someone who is dealing with a disability and they require services to help them live independently, although you may not remember any particular service we provide, please remember that we provide services to people with disabilities, Remember Heartland, and remember our goal is to find ways to include, not exclude people for services.  Please remember our name Heartland Independent Living Center, and give them our number.

 

Thank you