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Friday is WWE Smackdown! night at one particular Downeast Horizons residential facility in Ellsworth. While some of the residents and staff prepare snacks, others fire up the big-screen TV, bought with donations, and soon everyone gathers in the spacious living room for an evening of ersatz wrestling.
And last summer, Downeast Horizons, the nonprofit organization that runs this home and seven others for the developmentally disabled in Hancock County, went one better: They loaded up a couple of vans and headed to the Bangor Auditorium for a memorable night of live glitz and mayhem.
“He’s as busy as anybody else his age,” says the mother of a mentally retarded 20-year-old who has been involved in the Downeast Horizons day program and recently moved into the home.
The care of adults with special needs can be a logistical minefield, requiring skilled navigation among families, medical providers, employers, and the community at large. Anthony Zambrano took over as executive director of Downeast Horizons in November 2006, after nine years as the director of operations at the Charlotte White Center, a mental health and disability agency in Dover-Foxcroft. “We see ourselves as a vibrant, growing agency that helps to enrich the lives of those who need it the most,” he says.
Those lives also include the clients’ families. “The greatest thing about [Downeast Horizons] is that we know he’s in a safe, secure environment,” says Richard Mason of Trenton, whose son, Jeffrey, 42, lives in a Downeast Horizons home in Bar Harbor. Jeffrey lived with his parents until this year. But Mason and his wife face other challenges, including helping with the care of a granddaughter who is terminally ill with juvenile Huntington’s disease. Mason speaks of the “chronic sorrow” he feels at not being able to care for his son full-time, and he praises Downeast Horizons for its individual-based approach.
“They allow the clients to do what they’re strong in,” he says. “The state’s very good at making sure there’s an individualized plan for each person. They’re not just being warehoused. Jeffrey can’t wait to go snowboarding at Sugarloaf this winter with his friend.”
“For each client, a team of people gets together to talk about what is needed,” Zambrano says. “We focus a lot on skill-building: cooking, hygiene, socialization, stranger safety—all the skills you and I take for granted. And the plan is reviewed every 90 days.”
Founded in 1975, Downeast Horizons is one of several organizations that came into being on the heels of the Pineland consent decree, which closed most of Maine’s antiquated facilities for the developmentally disabled. “There was a need to develop community-based supports for these individuals [who had formerly been institutionalized],” Zambrano says.
Zambrano estimates that the number of people served by the agency roughly equals the number of employees: around 90. Additional help comes from the Parent Alliance of Downeast Horizons, a group of parents, guardians, and family members, on which Mason has been active, as well as volunteers and community businesses.
The residential facilities, often called group homes, are developed around like needs and common interests, Zambrano says. Some residents require around-the-clock medical care, while others are partially independent, and a few of them work at places like Burger King and Renys.
The agency maintains six homes in Ellsworth, one in Hancock, and one on Mount Desert Island. Occupancy varies from two to six residents, and each is staffed around the clock on a rotating basis. Day programs take place at the Ellsworth center and at the agency’s longtime headquarters on Route 3 between Bar Harbor and Ellsworth. Evening programs are available at the Ellsworth center as well.
A good deal of the agency’s time is helping clients meet their basic healthcare needs. “We make the contacts with medical professionals, psychologists, take people to their appointments, administer their medications if they can’t do it themselves,” Zambrano says. “Often these are nonverbal individuals, with limited communications skills. We have an agreement with Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth for people with severe needs, in which we will provide staff to whatever extent necessary, to augment their nursing care. The hospital has been very good to us.”
Employees at Downeast Horizons receive extensive in-house professional training, including first aid and CPR, direct service professional training, and Mandt training, a technique designed to reduce restraint and coercive interactions with individuals who become unruly. In addition, staffers caring for older people work with Hancock County Hospice on end-of-life issues. All training is periodically updated, Zambrano says.
Recently, for the first time in its history, Downeast Horizons launched services for children with autism and Asperger syndrome, with programs on Deer Isle and Mount Desert Island.
In order to qualify for services from Downeast Horizons, in either the residential or day programs, an individual must first be enrolled in MaineCare, and must be referred by the state Department of Health and Human Services. The state pays 33% of the costs; federal dollars and private donations make up the remainder. The agency conducts a semiannual fundraising drive, and sometimes receives money from unusual sources. Last Christmas, fifth-grade students at Trenton Elementary School amassed a total of 40,000 pennies. The $400 was split between Downeast Horizons and the Emmaus Center, a homeless shelter in Ellsworth.
“Downeast Horizons has a great donor base,” says Tim King, president of the board of directors. “Our supporters, both those who give dollar amounts and those who donate time, in most instances, stay with us for decades. It is very gratifying to know that our mission and services inspire loyalty and generosity from people all over Maine and beyond.”
Under Zambrano’s direction, the agency has started a quarterly newsletter that is mailed to donors, family members, community organizations, and businesses. He has also worked to increase outreach programs in which Downeast Horizons staffers work with clients in their homes and communities. And the agency has filed a proposal with the state to develop additional residential sites. Still, funding is limited, and Zambrano says there will likely be a waiting list for residential services in 2008.
Mason is thankful there was a spot available at Downeast Horizons for his grown son. “There comes a time in a person’s life where it’s for his own good,” he says. “And Jeffrey has been astoundingly mature about this. To our amazement, he’s adjusted quicker than we have.”
And last summer, Downeast Horizons, the nonprofit organization that runs this home and seven others for the developmentally disabled in Hancock County, went one better: They loaded up a couple of vans and headed to the Bangor Auditorium for a memorable night of live glitz and mayhem.
“He’s as busy as anybody else his age,” says the mother of a mentally retarded 20-year-old who has been involved in the Downeast Horizons day program and recently moved into the home.
The care of adults with special needs can be a logistical minefield, requiring skilled navigation among families, medical providers, employers, and the community at large. Anthony Zambrano took over as executive director of Downeast Horizons in November 2006, after nine years as the director of operations at the Charlotte White Center, a mental health and disability agency in Dover-Foxcroft. “We see ourselves as a vibrant, growing agency that helps to enrich the lives of those who need it the most,” he says.
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Those lives also include the clients’ families. “The greatest thing about [Downeast Horizons] is that we know he’s in a safe, secure environment,” says Richard Mason of Trenton, whose son, Jeffrey, 42, lives in a Downeast Horizons home in Bar Harbor. Jeffrey lived with his parents until this year. But Mason and his wife face other challenges, including helping with the care of a granddaughter who is terminally ill with juvenile Huntington’s disease. Mason speaks of the “chronic sorrow” he feels at not being able to care for his son full-time, and he praises Downeast Horizons for its individual-based approach.
“They allow the clients to do what they’re strong in,” he says. “The state’s very good at making sure there’s an individualized plan for each person. They’re not just being warehoused. Jeffrey can’t wait to go snowboarding at Sugarloaf this winter with his friend.”
“For each client, a team of people gets together to talk about what is needed,” Zambrano says. “We focus a lot on skill-building: cooking, hygiene, socialization, stranger safety—all the skills you and I take for granted. And the plan is reviewed every 90 days.”
Founded in 1975, Downeast Horizons is one of several organizations that came into being on the heels of the Pineland consent decree, which closed most of Maine’s antiquated facilities for the developmentally disabled. “There was a need to develop community-based supports for these individuals [who had formerly been institutionalized],” Zambrano says.
Zambrano estimates that the number of people served by the agency roughly equals the number of employees: around 90. Additional help comes from the Parent Alliance of Downeast Horizons, a group of parents, guardians, and family members, on which Mason has been active, as well as volunteers and community businesses.
The residential facilities, often called group homes, are developed around like needs and common interests, Zambrano says. Some residents require around-the-clock medical care, while others are partially independent, and a few of them work at places like Burger King and Renys.
The agency maintains six homes in Ellsworth, one in Hancock, and one on Mount Desert Island. Occupancy varies from two to six residents, and each is staffed around the clock on a rotating basis. Day programs take place at the Ellsworth center and at the agency’s longtime headquarters on Route 3 between Bar Harbor and Ellsworth. Evening programs are available at the Ellsworth center as well.
A good deal of the agency’s time is helping clients meet their basic healthcare needs. “We make the contacts with medical professionals, psychologists, take people to their appointments, administer their medications if they can’t do it themselves,” Zambrano says. “Often these are nonverbal individuals, with limited communications skills. We have an agreement with Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth for people with severe needs, in which we will provide staff to whatever extent necessary, to augment their nursing care. The hospital has been very good to us.”
Employees at Downeast Horizons receive extensive in-house professional training, including first aid and CPR, direct service professional training, and Mandt training, a technique designed to reduce restraint and coercive interactions with individuals who become unruly. In addition, staffers caring for older people work with Hancock County Hospice on end-of-life issues. All training is periodically updated, Zambrano says.
Recently, for the first time in its history, Downeast Horizons launched services for children with autism and Asperger syndrome, with programs on Deer Isle and Mount Desert Island.
In order to qualify for services from Downeast Horizons, in either the residential or day programs, an individual must first be enrolled in MaineCare, and must be referred by the state Department of Health and Human Services. The state pays 33% of the costs; federal dollars and private donations make up the remainder. The agency conducts a semiannual fundraising drive, and sometimes receives money from unusual sources. Last Christmas, fifth-grade students at Trenton Elementary School amassed a total of 40,000 pennies. The $400 was split between Downeast Horizons and the Emmaus Center, a homeless shelter in Ellsworth.
“Downeast Horizons has a great donor base,” says Tim King, president of the board of directors. “Our supporters, both those who give dollar amounts and those who donate time, in most instances, stay with us for decades. It is very gratifying to know that our mission and services inspire loyalty and generosity from people all over Maine and beyond.”
Under Zambrano’s direction, the agency has started a quarterly newsletter that is mailed to donors, family members, community organizations, and businesses. He has also worked to increase outreach programs in which Downeast Horizons staffers work with clients in their homes and communities. And the agency has filed a proposal with the state to develop additional residential sites. Still, funding is limited, and Zambrano says there will likely be a waiting list for residential services in 2008.
Mason is thankful there was a spot available at Downeast Horizons for his grown son. “There comes a time in a person’s life where it’s for his own good,” he says. “And Jeffrey has been astoundingly mature about this. To our amazement, he’s adjusted quicker than we have.”
