I must admit that the majority of clients Home Helpers serves are seniors, but that doesn’t mean we can’t help expectant mothers on bed rest due to pregnancy complications, the intellectually or developmentally disabled (I/DD), or family caregivers in need of respite.

March is Development Disabilities Awareness Month, so I feel it’s important to share some important information about critical resources in our community that can help families and family caregivers.

I tapped into one of Florida’s most valuable resources, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD). Their mission is to support persons with developmental disabilities in living, learning, and working in their communities.

The goals of APD are to:

• Increase access to community-based services, treatment, and residential options.
• Increase the number of individuals with developmental disorders in the workforce.
• Improve management of the agency and oversight of providers.

Their website states, “APD works with local organizations and private providers to support people who have developmental disabilities and their families in living, learning, and working in their communities. APD identifies the service needs of people with developmental disabilities, and those individuals may receive social, medical, behavioral, residential, and/or therapeutic services.”

Statewide, APD serves more than 50,000 Floridians with developmental disabilities In our area, the Suncoast Agency for Persons with Disabilities office located in Tampa is available for residents in Pasco and Pinellas counties.

APD serves people with the following disabilities:

• People severely impaired by autism
• Cerebral Palsy
• Spina bifida
• Intellectual disabilities
• Down syndrome
• Prader-Willi syndrome
• Phelan-McDermid syndrome
• Children ages 3-5 who are at a high risk of developmental disorders

APD services include:

• Medicaid HCBS Waiver through iBudget Florida
• Placement in an intermediate care facility for those with developmental disabilities
• Supported employment services
• Supported living services
• Consumer Directed Care Plus (CDC+)
• IFS (Individual and Family Supports) funding for non-waiver customer expenses

I think it’s important to review this information and make it available to area residents because oftentimes, family caregivers do not realize there are local resources available to help make their lives easier and enhance the lives of their I/DD loved ones.

Caregiving can be challenging and is often a thankless job for family caregivers. It takes the right kind of people and the proper resources in place to make life easier for family caregivers and their disabled loved ones.

Please consider Home Helpers another key resource for family caregivers in need of respite. We are proud to be your family when family can’t be there!

If you are a family caregiver who needs a break and could benefit from respite care services managed by highly qualified professional, compassionate caregivers, I am available for a FREE Consultation to assess specific needs, so we can help make your life easier as well as the life of your disabled loved one.

We, at Home Helpers® Clearwater, are honored to have been ranked among the Home Care Pulse Top 100 Leaders in Experience for home care providersin 2023 and to have receivedthe Best of Home Care® Provider of Choice Award 2023, the Best of Home Care® Employer of Choice Award 2023, and the Best of Home Care® Leader in Experience Award 2023.

We proudly serve male and female seniors in Clearwater, Dunedin, Palm Harbor, Safety Harbor, Tarpon Springs, Holiday, New Port Richey, Trinity, Port Richey, Hudson, and surrounding areas. Home Helpers®…we are Making Life Easier℠ 727.942.2539

Sources:

Agency for Persons with Disabilities

Suncoast Agency for Persons with Disabilitie