Connecticut Struggles with Adult Services

Stan and Kathy Peters stand with
their daughter, Sarah, 28, at their
Killingworth home where she still lives.

 

There are so many families like the Peters. Hopefully Sarah will be able to move into a group residence and enjoy a quality life and her parents can retire with peace of mind knowing she is well cared for, safe and happy. Sarah deserves nothing less.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Kathy and Stan Peters talk about retiring to Florida, but first, they must consider Sarah, their daughter with intellectual disabilities. She's 28 and lives at home but wants her independence. Florida's group home situation is dismal, and Connecticut — unless there's an emergency in the family — has a growing waiting list and a complicated system, Kathy Peters says.
"I have a couple of master's degrees, but trying to get through the system can be just exhausting," she said.
The state Department of Developmental Services, the agency charged with the providing services for residents with intellectual disabilities, just released its five-year plan that concurs with Peters' assessment. The department, with its $1 billion budget, is currently working in a system that is "unsustainable," the report said. The old model — early intervention, special education, day programs for older residents — is too expensive.