Results of Evaluation

I conducted my evaluation at the Southside Community Services Board. The Southside Community Services Board has a variety of populations they serve. I choose to do my evaluation on the mental health program. This program serves individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities. From my interviews, observation, and ability to view previous client’s records, I obtained much needed information. The clients of the Southside Community Services Board were in good health. However, there are two clients there who are diabetics. They must check their blood sugar three times a day before each meal. There was one client who must use a walker to get around, he can walk without it, but he is authorized to use it at all times due to his conditions. For my evaluation, I evaluated the effectiveness of the services of Southside Community Services Board. 

            My interview questions to the staff was about how they handle the clients, what resources they provide, and are the client’s needs being met. One of the staff members from the interview stated that they are lacking staff members at the program. By the lack of staff, it is putting more work on them. However, they handle the clients well, but they must work with more clients at one time then usually. The staff informed me that the school-based therapy program provides a variety of resources. Their purpose is to build their living and developmental skills. Majority of the clients have a job they can do around the program that enhances their abilities. Their jobs consist of sweeping, mopping, wiping tables, and taking out trash. They also have a client who is capable of washing dishes with the support of staff. The staff supervises all of the client’s jobs. Each staff member has a group of 4-5 individuals they work with to build their learning skills. The staff uses flash cards, puzzles, and word games to enhance their development of learning. The staff takes some of clients out to shop for personal belongings to learn independency. The clients interview questions were based off their thoughts of the program and the resources they are provided. The information I obtained from the client’s interview was they like the program. They enjoy doing their job duties and the activities they have. They like learning new things and interacting with the other individuals. My observation was focused on the staff participation with the clients and how the clients react to the staff. Some of the clients were unfocused on the activities they were doing. The staff handled the situations by redirecting them. I was able to view previous client’s records. I obtained information that some clients who were in residential group homes got the opportunity to transfer into another group home that is single living. Instead of the clients having their own room, they are now in a group home that has their own apartments.

Implications of Findings

These finding are positive and can impact the agency/program in a positive way. The resources they are providing to the clients are affecting their lives in major ways. The resources they provide are building the clients mentally and physically. The agency/program is living up to their purpose of developing and providing the highest quality behavioral health and intellectual/developmental services for their clients. However, for the staff members they are under a little pressure due to the lack of staffing as of recently. The program lost staff due to those employees finding other opportunities. As stated, before the staff members work with 4-5 clients. When they were fully staff, each staff member will have 2-3 clients.

Recommendation

The recommendation I would give the agency/program is to have a job fair or open interviews. This will bring employment to the agency/program. They are lacking staff and making it difficult for the staff that are already there. It is putting more pressure on the staff and causing them to work harder. This recommendation will benefit the agency/program. It will decrease the stress and workload of the staff.

Goals and Objectives

1. Have activities outside of the agency/program

• The agency should take the clients out bowling
• The agency should take the clients swimming
• The agency should take the clients walking for exercise
• The agency should take the clients to visit museum trips

2. Have more activities in the agency/program

• The agency should grow a garden
• The agency should have a time for clients to dance, which can be a part of exercising
• The agency should have arts and craft activities such as creating with fabric and crafting with clay

Research

According to the article Behavioral and emotional problems in people with severe and profound intellectual disability, these two groups are particularly different in areas of emotional and behaviors.  People with profound intellectual disability are more likely to have additional disabilities such as physical, sensory, and health disabilities. People with serve intellectual disabilities are less likely to use symbolic forms of communication such as speech, gestural language, or pictures (Forster, Gray, Taffe, Einfeld, & Tonge, 2011). From my findings I have found that individuals with profound and serve intellectual disability are different in many areas. There is a client at the agency/program that have profound intellectual disability. They do not interact with the other clients because of their conditions. They are in the same area as the other clients but there is a staff member that works with him individually. Due to their conditions they cannot interact with the activities like the other clients. Also, there is clients with serve intellectual disabilities. However, these clients do have trouble with speech, but they can understand a bit of what you are saying to them. When it comes to activities they like to play with puzzles and adult coloring. Although they do not know how to put the puzzles together on their own, they like the concept of the different pieces.

Reference

Forster, S., Gray, M. K., Taffe, J., Einfeld, L. S., & Tonge, J. B. (2011). Behavioral and emotional problems in people with severe and profound intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research.