Cherokee County Mental Retardation Association summer program gives families of handicapped kids respite
PHOTOS AND STORY: ROBIN D. BEST SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR
A new program offered this summer is giving families of severely handicapped children a well deserved break.

The Summer Respite Program, offered

by the Cherokee County Mental Retardation Association (CCMRA) comes in the form of a carefully planned and managed day program.

Andrea Grimes, program manager overseeing the respite program for CCMRA, said the program in a nutshell is to give respite to parents and families during the summer.

"Most of these kids, I have 13 referrals, all of them school-age children, have autism," Ms. Grimes said. "Surprisingly, nine out of 13 have autism."

Grimes said that until CCMRA began looking into the problem, she had been unaware of the need for the program.

"This program covers both Cherokee and Anderson counties," she said. "We have a variety of ages, the youngest is five, the oldest is 15. While many of these kids have autism, that is not their only disability. They also have mental retardation, some have seizure disorders, attention deficit disorders and other disabilities as well." CCMRA Executive Director Elton McCune said that the funding for the project comes from ACCESS.

"ACCESS is the MHMR Authority for Cherokee and Anderson counties," Mr. McCune said. "They are a public non-profit organization that is chartered to provide MHMR services in these two counties, through the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS)."

Allyn Lang is the executive director of ACCESS.

"He (Lang) is an excellent manager," Mr. McCune said. "ACCESS had some unencumbered funds not involved in other programs. These funds are being made available for this pilot program to provide respite services to these families."

Ms. Grimes explained that the service is now in progress from 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

"We have had such a great response from the families," she said, noting that the families that care for these children have to take care of them 24-hours a day on a full-time, constant basis, leading to caretaker exhaustion.

"This program gives these families a chance to have some time to themselves while the clients are in the program," she added. "Each family is receiving at least two days per week services."

In addition to carefully planned programs that include therapeutic play and activities individually designed for each client, CCMRA has also provided opportunities for participants to receive physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy every Wednesday at the respite care facility.

"We took an MR group home in Jacksonville, and have dedicated it during the day for respite care," Ms. Grimes said. "The clients receive therapies per their individual plans on Wednesdays."

The participants in the program have been settling in very well.

"The kids came in real excited," Ms. Grimes said. "It is all so new for them and they are sometimes very hyperactive. It has been a real challenge sometimes. This is a new program and we have learned a lot from it."

"And we are still learning," added Mr. McCune.

The program began with one client around the first of June, but kicked off officially on June 26. McCune said there was a two-week period of time that preparatory work was done to set up the program.

The amount of money dedicated to the program is approximately $50,000. But the funding is provided on a per-day basis for each client, the amount varying, based on the severity of the disability.

"This is uncharted ground for us," Ms. Grimes said. "My staff and I are used to working with mental retardation and what we are looking at working with are clients with autism. It is an eye-opening experience. These kids need constant, one-on-one attention.

"I find it refreshing working with the kids," she added. "I have always worked with adults, and I have always wanted to work with kids, so I am enjoying this very much."

Mr. McCune said that the program is going very well.

"We would like for the program to continue in the future, but right now, depending on the availability of funding, the future of the program is uncertain," he said.

The program also provides transportation for the clients to and from the facility. In the photo on the front page, Cherokee County Workshop skills trainers are Regina McClelland (left frame) and Rhonda Jones (center).