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| A nice Norvegian boy like me |
Recently I did what is called a ‘Walk-through’ of a home for
people with developmental disabilities. The Board of Directors which
orchestrates these things requires that all homes in our keeping be inspected
by us to insure that the staff is indeed doing their jobs, that the residents
have a happy, safe, clean and healthy home in which they are entitled to.
Going into one of these homes is always a joy in that we can
witness first-hand how well we are succeeding in our mission, and get to know
the residents at the same time. For instance, I met a young lady standing at
her TV with a ‘wii’ dancing to the animated dancer on the screen. Once I met a
resident bowling to the same contraption! I really have to get myself one
someday.
One of the procedures in the walk-through is to interview a
resident in private to allow them to speak up if they have any issues. I ask a
set of routine questions and they answer them. Sometimes the answers are not
what you expect, but for the most part you get answers.
As I was leaving the residence after my walk-through, some
of the residents were arriving home form their day-program and were being
wheeled into the house in wheel chairs as many are medically fragile. It is not
hard opening your heart up to them and discovering what the human spirit is all
about.
There in a wheel chair sat a lady with a beautiful round
face in a red winter coat smiling at me. She said something indistinguishable
for my poor hearing and the house parent translated.
“What do you ask everyone when you meet them, go ahead you
can ask Mr. DelBloggolo, what do you ask?”
“Are you Norwegian?”
Hearing this I couldn't help but answer: “Yes, as long as I
am in this house, I'm Norwegian! That smile was worth the whole amount of time
I spent there.
1 comment:
I see Governor Christie is pushing for more group homes in New Jersey to get developmentally disabled people our of larger, more impersonal institutional settings. Seems like a much better approach.
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