Adrian’s Story

‘My biggest wish for him is to always be safe, happy and surrounded by love.’ – Sharon, Adrian’s Mom

‘Adrian is such an amazing young man.  He is incredibly social and has such a great sense of humour.  He really is a kind soul with a loving heart and I know with the proper supports and the right environment he can be so successful.  My biggest wish for him is to always be safe, happy and surrounded by love.’ – Sharon, Adrian’s Mom

Adrian is 31-year-old man. He is non-verbal and communicates using sounds. On his I-Phone he has a program that helps him ‘speak’ to his family and CLL staff. Adrian has a loving family including his three adult siblings who have rallied around him and made sure he is included in every moment from the time he was a baby until today.

When Adrian is having a good day, everything is going well. He enjoys helping others, being around people, and making people laugh. Adrian loves animals and walking dogs with his staff. He attends Fun Fridays at South London Community Centre and swimming at the YMCA. Adrian enjoys all of the things that we all enjoy like going for walk in the community, going to the mall and heading to the local donut shop for a hot chocolate.

Community Living London supports over 1000 people with a developmental disability. We support people from birth to death with a variety of abilities and behaviours.

Community Living London has supported Adrian since he was 10 years old. He has attended CLL’s Respite Services and participated in Community Access programs. At Community Access, Adrian engages in many activities including bowling, bingo, boccia, board games, snoezelen and many other activities offered in centre and in the community. Adrian also loves music and movies. With the support of staff, he can access all these activities safely.  

Adrian has an Intellectual disability. He struggles with regulating his emotions, impulse control and change in routines. This behaviour could cause Adrian to become destructive within his environment and potentially physically aggressive towards himself and those around him including his peers and family. Like many people we support, change of any kind whether it’s a change in the day routine or activity may cause a person to get very upset.

Sharon, a stay at home mom, has been his primary caregiver throughout his life. Adrian’s aggression against his mom started when he was a young child. Every time an episode occurred Sharon tried to re-direct Adrian. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it did not, and Sharon became the target.

When Adrian attended Access services, staff would look for signs of Adrian’s behavior escalating, they would follow a plan and tag team to de-escalate his behaviour. However, at home during the day, Sharon would be on her own. The police have been called on several occasions and the officers have helped Sharon and Adrian to diffuse some extremely unpredictable situations.

One day last summer on a drive to CLL’s programs, Adrian became very upset in the car with Sharon. She pulled over and with the help of CLL staff, Adrian was taken to the hospital. He is still there today.

Adrian is currently in the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit at London Health Science Centre. He has a room at the end of the hallway. Sharon visits every day. They sit on the floor together and charge Adrian’s iPod in the jack outside his room. The iPod is the only piece of equipment Adrian has to communicate with staff and the outside world. Sharon is at a loss as to how to help her son. She knows it is not safe for him to come home, yet it breaks her heart to leave him at the hospital everyday not knowing who he will cross paths with and what issues he may face.

Adrian’s time in the PICU has been met with many challenges and scary moments. With a floor full of patients with challenging behaviours this is not a safe place for a young man to stay.  His equipment and his clothes have gone missing. Other patients have taken out their aggression on him. And since Adrian cannot yell out for help, he reacts physically in fear. The hospital meets his basic needs but it is no place for a young man like Adrian to live. He is exposed to many other challenging people and does not understand why he is there and not at home.

Adrian has been in hospital since July 2024 with no hope of discharge to a supported living home where he will live with a few roommates and caring support staff.

Due to the significant wait list for supported living for people with developmental disabilities in Ontario, there is no hope of discharge anytime soon. 

Several times a week Community Living London staff visit Adrian at the hospital. Adrian has access to a day pass where he can leave and go to Community Living London’s Ford Access program to see his friends and participate in activities. Whether it is doing a craft, playing bingo or dancing, he has the freedom to engage in the community he knows and that makes him happy. This is comforting to Sharon as she knows he is safe and participating in activities that he enjoys.

And then in the evening he returns back to the hospital.

Sharon loves Adrian so much and tears run down her face when she thinks about where he is. She continues to advocate for him. But with 3000 people on the developmental service Ontario housing waitlist in London and over 13,000 in Ontario- Adrian is one of many waiting for a home.

Sharon has had moments of hope and disappointment navigating the system and the lack of direction and lack of communication and resources. Adrian is on the waitlist for supported living and Sharon continues to wait for the call that will change all their lives.

Sharon’s dream for Adrian is a life where he is well supported in his own home with a few room mates who have similar interests to his. He would be able to come and go from his home with support to ensure his safety and the safety of others. Support staff in the home are trained and would know Adrian and know how to provide support while allowing him to explore his independence. Then on weekends Adrian would come home to visit his family, have dinner and when the time came at the end of the evening, he would go back home to his friends.

This is what all Mom’s want for their children. Until then…Sharon and Adrian wait.

How Can You Help Adrian Come Home? Contact Your Local MPP today!

Teresa Armstrong- MPP, London Fanshawe Phone: 519-668-1104 Email: tarmstrong-CO@ndp.on.ca

Terence Kernaghan- MPP, London North Centre Phone: 519-432-7339 Email: TKernaghan-CO@ndp.on.ca

Peggy Sattler- MPP, London West Phone: 519-657-3120 Email: psattler-co@ndp.on.ca

Rob Flack- MPP, Elgin Middlesex London Phone: 519-631-5995

#5ToSurvive

CTV News Coverage ‘Developmental Services In Crisis’ : With Michelle Palmer, Executive Director, & David Hill

#5TOSURVIVE- JOIN COMMUNITY LIVING LONDON IN THE CAMPAIGN!

Organizations all across the province are a united group of advocates from the Developmental Services (DS) sector comprised of people who have an intellectual disability (self-advocates), families, and DS agencies. We have joined together to advocate for essential changes in the funding and support provided to developmental services.

The DS sector, funded by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS), is facing critical challenges. Instability in the sector requires the government’s immediate attention.

The DS sector has not benefited from any significant cost-of-living increases in MCCSS funding over the past thirty years.

Historic funding disparities have led to significant wage discrepancies in Developmental Services, as compared to health, education, and long-term care. Developmental Services simply cannot compete with these other sectors, which are offering higher wages and consistently drawing workers away from people, families, and agencies in DS.

Fewer staff to respond to growing needs has impacted working conditions. With a province-wide human resource shortage, declining working conditions, and wage disparities, the DS sector is reaching dangerously low staffing levels.

Wage disparity threatens staffing levels, making it increasingly difficult to meet the growing demands for our services.

The Risk to Sustainability

Funding is not based on actual costs. With inflation, the cost of operating an agency has increased, while funding has not. Base funding increases are not keeping pace with inflation. As a result, some agencies have turned to offsetting revenue through one-time grants and fundraising (et cetera) to support core program expenses. This operational model is not sustainable and increases the risk to the sustainability of some agencies.

Funding inadequacy jeopardizes the sustainability of developmental services.

The Risk to Vulnerable Ontarians

There is a risk to vulnerable Ontarians due to the pressures. With increased demands, skyrocketing costs, and a human resource crisis, we no longer have a sustainable model for our provincial system of care that ensures the safety and well-being of Ontarians. In fact, some agencies have already been forced to reduce or withdraw services in the face of budgetary pressures.

People with intellectual disabilities bear the greatest risk in the face of a sector in crisis.

While we appreciate the investments made by the government in various health and social service programs, there remain pressing issues that demand resolution. Wage enhancements for DS workers have been extremely helpful in addressing urgent staffing demands. However, there are unintended consequences to these investments, which include:

• Wage disparity between sectors;

• Wage disparity within transfer payment agencies that receive funding from mul􀆟ple Ministries;

• Wage compression between Developmental Services employees (i.e., supervisors and their direct reports), exacerbating the challenges in recruiting for leadership positions.

Developmental services are community-based and therefore a cost-effective solution within our health and social service systems. The funding issues within MCCSS’s funded programs require the government’s immediate attention.

Collectively, we seek the following solutions to resolve these and other unintended consequences:

1. Sector Stabilization Funding

We request an immediate 5% increase in Developmental Service agencies’ base funding to respond to a sector in crisis. We seek funding that is unrestricted, allowing agencies to address their unique pressures and risks to sustainability.

And we request an immediate corresponding increase in Passport Funding as well as Special Services at home (SSAH) such that people with intellectual disabilities and families can continue to access cost-effective, community-based services.

2. Task Force for a Sustainable Funding Model

We recommend the establishment of an inter-Ministerial task force to develop a long-term, sustainable funding model for the Developmental Services sector.

Community Living London has requested meetings from MPP’s in our area to discuss the issues crumbling many organizations across the province.

We encourage all Ontarians to share our information and contact their MPPs.

Together, we can create a brighter, more inclusive future for the 100,000+ Ontarians who have an intellectual disability and their families.

DID YOU KNOW?

·       Developmental service organizations in Ontario have seen their base budgets increase by less than 5% over the course of three decades

·       In the same period, the cost of living has increased by almost 60%

·       This has created a growing crisis in the system and organizations are struggling to survive

·       The sector faces many challenges right now, and a base budget increase is absolutely crucial to keep up with the rising cost of food, gas, heating and cooling, insurance, training, etc

_____________________________

Just Community Living London in the last 5 years;

·       Insurance costs have increased by 112% with no new base funding

·       Benefits have increased by 19% with no new base funding

·       Food and Household expenses have increased by 15% with no new base funding

·       Gas has increased by 2% with no new base funding

·       These increases are not sustainable and we can no longer sustain services without an immediate base funding increase

Michelle Palmer, Executive Director, Community Living London #5TOSURVIVE

MORE #5TOSURVUVE MEDIA COVERAGE

Breakfast Television

Chris Beesley, CEO of Community Living Ontario on Breakfast Television #5TOSURVIVE

CTV Your Morning

Chris Beesley and Judy Noonan, from CLO interviewed on CTV Your Morning, ‘A Community in Crisis’ #5TOSURVIVE