MTRC, Inc. |
What does MTRC do after you are gone? The following stories are examples of families who have three different problems involving the person with mental retardation following the death of the parents. In all three examples, MTRC can help the families.
My name is Dave. My brother, Joey, works in the supported employment program at the local Arc. When my mother became ill in 1993, she contacted the Arc to find residential placement. This was very hard for her to do because Joey had always been with her, but Mom knew it was best for Joey to get settled in a new home while she was still able to help him adjust. Mom died nine months ago. She named me as the Trustee of Joey's discretionary trust. Mom was a smart lady. She wanted to make the transition as easy as possible for Joey and me.
Mom and Dad joined the MTRC in 1988. I called their office and told them of Mom's death. I was surprised to find that Mom had kept Joey's file updated. They also had a copy of the Life Care Plan Mom had prepared. We made an appointment to meet in the MTRC office. I still wasn't sure how they could help, but like I said, Mom was a smart lady.
At the meeting, we reviewed the Care Plan and found that Mom wanted the Discretionary Trust to be used to fund Joey's vacation each year, provide special shoes, pay for his bowling, and other things not covered by his funding. The agency providing residential services arranges all of these things. I pay for it from his trust monies. Mom also budgeted money for MTRC to provide advocacy services. I was still skeptical, but I knew Mom would not have written these directions if she didn't think it necessary. We discussed different packages that MTRC offers for services and decided on quarterly visits for the first year. I couldn't help thinking "what a waste of money. I can do this myself." But, in the back of my mind, I knew Mom had reasons for budgeting this money.
The MTRC Case Manager and I attended Joey's annual meeting together. The Service Coordinator conducted the meeting and made everything as clear as she possibly could, but I was still in awe at the number of support services involved and all of the information presented. The MTRC Case Manager offered suggestions for several services and advocated for Joey in a way that I was not prepared to do. I was so glad to have her with me.
She gave me a "Community Advocate Training Manual" to help me learn what all of the different agencies were talking about. We also arranged for the quarterly reports from Service Coordination to be sent to MTRC for review. The Case Manager highlights things discussed at the team meeting that should be done and sends it to me. I follow up with the agencies to see that Joey's Annual Action Plan developed at the team meeting is followed. She also gave me contacts for Joey - people to call if I needed answers.
Mom knew what she was doing. She not only planned for Joey, but also for me. I've learned a lot with the help of MTRC. If I have a question about the service, I call the MTRC office to find out where to go for the answer. They don't charge me for this. I visit Joey and either call or send brief reports to MTRC. They keep all this information in his file so that the Case Manager can advocate for Joey when needed.
I plan to renew the Supplemental Services contract for another year for the
same amount of time. Who knows, maybe the following year I will feel confident
enough that only attendance at the team meeting will be required. But there
may also be a time when I retire and move out of state, or I become ill, and
cannot visit Joey. Then I'll increase the visits and feel secure in knowing
that Joey is receiving the advocacy and support Mom wanted for him.
My name is John and I live in New York. I have a cousin, Nancy, who lives in a group home in Maryland. Nancy's father died last year leaving a discretionary trust for her with me as the Trustee. The residential agency sends me bills for things Nancy wants, but I don't see her very often so I'm not sure she actually is receiving the items. The agency keeps telling me that she is fine, but she sounds different - kind of withdrawn - when I call her. I think it's time for a visit.
I made an unannounced visit to Nancy's house. I was shocked at the condition. The staff had changed again and both Nancy and her bedroom were dirty and unkempt. I remembered my uncle's request that I call MTRC when he was gone. I hadn't done this yet because he never really explained why I was to call or what MTRC did. Actually, my uncle never told me anything about Nancy's care. I guess he thought the agencies would handle everything.
I met with the MTRC Case Manager and she explained the services they had to offer. She was particularly concerned about the conditions of the house and the fact that Nancy seemed withdrawn. She suggested a contract to assess the day and residential program and review medications. I didn't want to waste Nancy's money, but I felt it was in her best interest to do this since I couldn't stay in Maryland and oversee her programs. The Case Manager agreed to stay in contact with me. She also said that since Nancy had no one to visit her, MTRC would make every effort to locate a volunteer to be her friend, visit her, and report to our office. There was no charge for the volunteer service.
The Case Manager assessed both the day and residential programs and prepared a letter of complaints to the agency involved. I reviewed the letter and authorized it to be mailed. Within the next month, the agency replied to our letter and began making changes. I asked the Case Manager to attend Nancy's team meeting as her advocate and find out why her medications were changed. In the meantime, MTRC found a volunteer to visit Nancy at the house. I now notify MTRC when I release money to the agency and the volunteer checks to see that items are used by Nancy.
After the initial assessment period, I decided to have MTRC make 3 visits
to the home annually and attend the team meeting and report to me quarterly.
Nancy seems much happier and her quality of life is back to the way it was
when her Mom and Dad were here. My peace of mind has also improved.
My name is Betty. My sister, Sally, works in supported employment and lives in a group home. Our father died 5 years ago; Mom died 6 months ago. Mom left a rather simple Will leaving her estate to me. She did not leave any provisions for Sally, but before she died, she asked me to look out for my sister. I had no idea what all this meant. Mom left nothing in writing other than she had joined MTRC.
After the funeral, I called the MTRC office and we arranged an appointment to meet. Unfortunately, Mom never completed a document called a "Life Care Plan" so we needed to start from scratch. I updated Sally's files and we discussed using the services of the MTRC Case Manager, but I did not feel I had the extra money for this.
The other option was for me to become the "Volunteer Community Advocate" for my sister. MTRC provided me with a training manual and gave me advise on what to look for in Sally's house and how to advocate for her. I send regular reports to MTRC about Sally. If I have a question, I call and they tell me where to go to get the answer, but I do the actual advocating and leg work. MTRC does not charge me for this service.
Right now, I have everything under control. I feel confident that Sally is receiving quality services. I have also made my plans for the future. I have set up a discretionary trust and Life Care Plan for Sally so that if anything happens to me, MTRC will have the resources to actively advocate for Sally. With just a little thought and planning, Sally will always have someone to monitor her needs.