Residential Planning

Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

Q: What if a supported living arrangement doesn't work out?

A: The Individual Support Plan created for your loved one is meant to be flexible enough to adjust to the changing needs of the individual. If you begin to sense that things are not going as well as you and your loved one expected, it may be time to consider adapting or changing the support plan. Your support coordinator can help you to determine the most appropriate course of action. That action might include anything from a small change in the daily schedule to a rewriting of the entire plan.

Q: What if I learn that there is something happening within an agency-run residence that could endanger my loved one?

A: Your first action should be a call to the director of the agency giving names, dates, and details of the situation, your questions and concerns. Ask what specific action will be taken and request that the director call you back with a report by a specific date or time. (If there is any immediate danger to your loved one, insist that the agency response be immediate.) Try to resolve the situation, using the agency's complaint process. Then, write down everything you have told the director, along with the response and report date you received. (Keep this for your own records, in case it is needed later.)

If you're not satisfied with the response you receive, contact your loved one's support coordinator, who can direct you to the appropriate channels. Ask that a report of the situation be made to the Developmental Disabilities Program Office in your district. If the situation is one that entails abuse, neglect, or exploitation, call the State Abuse Hotline immediately at 1-800-FL-ABUSE to report all of the details.

Q: What do experts say is the best residential choice for someone who has a severe developmental disability and how do we choose?

A: The important factors in a home do not vary much whether you have a developmental disability or not. We all want an attractive, safe, and affordable home, in a neighborhood where we want to live. In deciding about a present or future home for your family member, it will be important to take his or her preferences into account. Involve your family member in the selection process as much as possible. Visiting some of the settings will help you do that. In order to make the best housing choice you certainly need to know all the possibilities. A few options to consider are:

Hire a roommate for your loved one. Have him/her share an apartment or home. Purchase his/her own home. (Many new and innovative housing and financing options have been made available for adults with a developmental disability). Supported living. Through Medicaid Waiver. (Funding source for people who have many or complex needs). It can provide a supported living coach, companion service, homemaker service, or other supports.

Q: What kinds of things should we be aware of when choosing a group home?

A: Aside from the preferences of your loved one and yourself here are a few important elements to be aware of:

Q: I'm really nervous about my loved one moving into his own home after I'm gone. How can I be sure it's the right choice?

A: When deciding on a new residential option for a loved one, many people experience ambivalence and uncertainty. You may never feel 100% sure of your decision. Your relative may also experience some of these same fears and uncertainties. Know that it is normal to feel this way; others have felt the same. Yet, the priority must be doing what is best for your loved one, both now and in the future. Putting your feelings second can be difficult to do, yet a powerful incentive for planning for your loved one's future home is that you can insure that his/her hopes and dreams come true and that your wishes will be carried out.

Q: How can I be sure our family home will pass to my son and will this influence his Medicaid benefits?

A: Realize that you can leave your home to your loved one, whether it is fully paid for or not.

(Any unpaid mortgage or lien would remain in effect, unless you have a life insurance policy on the mortgage balance.) You can use a Quitclaim Deed now, to transfer the home to yourself and your son as joint tenants. This will insure that the home transfers directly to your son when you die. For Medicaid purposes, you may transfer the home to him right now without any potential penalty, if your loved one lives in the house. The Medicaid law allows transfer of the primary resident to a permanently disabled adult.

Another option is to create a Revocable Living Trust. Place the title to your home into the trust and name your loved one as the beneficiary. The advantage of a trust is that it will allow you to name a trustee. This could be you as long as you live and your attorney or another trusted person after your death. Later, if it becomes impossible for your son to continue living in the home, the trustee can rent or sell it, and use the proceeds to benefit your son. (For more information, please see the Financial Concerns section).

Finally, you could leave your home to a charitable organization or a service agency, with the conditions that they support your son as long as they are able and he wants to remain in your home, or that the agency provides and funds an alternative home for your loved one for the rest of his life. Check with a tax attorney or a Certified Public Accountant (CPA); you may find taking this last route also offers you tax benefits. Remember, whichever approach you choose, each family's situation is unique. Use the approach that suits you.