People with high care needs need a safe place to live. They need help from others to do their daily activities. And as a young adult with a disability, you may wonder about your options for living independently. So, you must know that supported independent living (SIL) helps people with disabilities to live independently and offers help with cleaning, cooking and caring for themselves.
Benefits of Living in SIL
Retain Your Independence and Freedom
SIL is not a residential program. It allows you to live independently in your own home, community or apartment. You can choose your own activities and friends, make decisions about your life, make mistakes and learn from them. With an independent living service coordinator’s support, you can grow as a person without being confined by an institution or treatment centre’s rules and regulations.
Live in a Community of Like-Minded People
You can live with other people who have disabilities and who are like-minded. It means you do not have to worry about being judged by your peers or expected to conform to the same standards as everyone else. And if you are into art and your roommate likes sports, for example, you should be yourself without worrying about what the other person thinks.
Make Gradual Transition
The transition to SIL can be gradual. If you move into a SIL community, you’ll have the opportunity to gradually transition into your own apartment by working part-time and increase your hours. You could also start with a smaller apartment and then transition to a larger one as you get more skills and experience in the community.
Get On-Site Support
You have on-site support available when you need it. As such, you can get help with things like cooking, cleaning and laundry, transportation to doctor’s appointments and the grocery store, money management and budgeting, education and job training, social activities such as movies and lunch dates, and health care needs, including medical or dental appointments.
So, experts usually provide the services, and the support is offered by people who have good experience in the field. They are trained and qualified to provide it, such as a team of professionals, a social worker or other experts who can assist with making decisions about housing, health care, education or personal care needs.
Learn to Manage Your Life
SIL is a way for many young adults with disabilities to gain independence and learn to manage their own lives. In a SIL program, you live in your own home but receive support from professionals who help you with transportation and grocery shopping. The goal of these programs is for the person to develop skills in managing their daily lives as independently as possible.
With SIL networthexposed programs, people can choose where they want to live, how much support they want from the professionals helping them, what type of work or volunteer activities they would like to do during their free time (if any), etc. It allows them to live an active lifestyle while also feeling safe because there are people around should anything unexpected happen during the day.
Supported independent living is an excellent option for people with disabilities who want to live on their own. It’s a way for them to learn the skills necessary for independent living, but with the help of professionals who are there when needed.
