Jane has been a participant of the Volunteers of America of Minnesota Family Treatment Program’s In-Home Relief for nearly ten years.  She is 27-years old and has a developmental disability.  She is unable to function independently and lives in the family home with her mother.  Our In-Home Relief providers work with Jane on a number of things, but their primary focus is on Jane’s socialization and getting her out into the community.  Jane’s mother reports that without the support of the In-Home Relief program it would be much more difficult to fulfill all of her normal household duties along with caring for her daughter.  For Jane’s mother, there is a sense of calm reassurance that her daughter is in good hands when she cannot be with Jane.

John has been a participant in the Volunteers of America of Minnesota Family Treatment Program’s In-Home Relief for several years.  He is a bright-eyed, 9-year-old boy who has been diagnosed with a form of Cerebral Palsy due to a major health problem in early life.  John requires total care and needs assistance in every aspect of life.  He is does not speak and is not able to move around without assistance.  In-Home Relief staff works with John daily, allowing his father to continue to work outside of the home.  Not only that, but staff work with John on a number of goals hoping to improve his overall functioning.  John’s full potential is not known yet, but over the course of the past few years, there have been improvements in his abilities.  The family reports that our In-Home Relief services helps to alleviate some of the stress associated with caring for a special needs child.  It is the hope of the whole team, which includes Volunteers of America staff, John’s family, and others, that John will continue to expand his abilities.