Ind. parents told drop disabled kids at shelters

Ind. parents told drop disabled kids at shelters

news.yahoo.com

Indiana's budget crunch has become so severe that some state workers have suggested leaving severely disabled people at homeless shelters if they can't be cared for at home, parents and advocates said.

They said workers at Indiana's Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services have told parents that's one option they have when families can no longer care for children at home and haven't received Medicaid waivers that pay for services that support disabled people living independently.

(visit the link for the full news article)

This is nuts. I can see how some parents feel like they are at the end of the rope, and have no where to turn, but to drop their disabled kids off at a homeless shelter? I guess it is not too much different from dropping them off at the state hospital , or putting them in mhmr group homes.
It is just sad when the state doesn't have enough money to help care for these individuals that have been on a waiting list for years, so the case worker suggests to the caretakers to drop them off. The article says any workers who do that will be disciplined, but in some sick way, I do not blame them . Their hands are tied , and they are the ones dealing with the parents or caretakers face to face. They see 1st hand the despair the parents must have.

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Wow. Just wow.
Maybe they'll make it like the SPCA. They don't find homes in 72 hours so they get euthanised...

This is insane! I know the system here in Indiana is terrible, the worse I have ever seen. I have been here less than a year and I have heard the stories but this just can't be. Who could care for a disabled child or adult at a homeless shelter? I think the state has not taken the time or effort to apply for grants and to use the money for those that truly need it. I want to follow this story so I will flag. Thank you OP I had not heard this terrible news.

I have a child with autism. He is only 6 years old but I can tell you that the past 6 years of my life have been total chaos. Trying to keep a family together when tension is high is very difficult to do. Frustration levels reach an all time high every day. It is a constant struggle to deal with a child that totally refuses to touch you or show you any kind of affection but me and my wife do it everyday all the time. I have a son that does not know the alphabet but can tell you the birth/death date of every president thus far. He can't tie his shoes but he can do algebra in his head.

Every day we struggle with him but love him more everyday.

After all the stuff we have put up with, their is no way in hell I would take him to DFACS or some other place to drop him off. This kind of stuff chaps my arse. The people that suggested that are complete and total morons that lack morality.

reply to post by crazydaisy


These grants and funds are being constantly slashed by 'fiscally responsible' (read: cheap) politicians. This is the price we pay for... well the only real benefit of 'fiscal responsibility' to the voter is that the state deficit number goes down in the short term! It sure feels good to see that number drop, huh guys?

Yikes, we are already starting to look like a Second World Nation.

There has been a trend in this country toward an ever increasing likelihood of genetic disabilities as well.

1 in 800 birth's is about the current rate of Down's Syndrome as I recall.. That's just one the various maladies that are becoming more common.

We saturate every aspect of our lives with chemicals and various toxins. It's no surprise really. For a state which is a major hub for national commerce to be bending under the strain is not a good sign though.

What a tragic situation to find ones self in. Do I lose my house or stop paying exorbitant cost for the care of my child? Does the child have a better life in a care facility or with the family under bleak financial conditions? How do I care for my other children and myself and my spouse with this "burden"? Did I just call my child a burden????

That has got to be heart rending for families hitting the wall!!!

I'm sort of torn on this one. First we know that this is just the beginning of a new trend, as more and more parents will have to decide between the state taking care of their disabled kids or putting food on the table for more than 2.

Some people are stronger than others, and I dont know exactly how I feel about an extremely stressed out parent, and a child with a disability adding to what was at one point day to day, and now it becoming a chore. These are the types of stories that have to be discussed and stopped before this is a way out for parents to "unload" due to the economy, or lack of medical and or financial help.

I am a parent of twin boys that are disabled, and I know that it is something that cannot be described to another that has not had to live with it. But for those parents who are out there that have this responsibility, I applaud you. Keep loving your kids, because believe it or not, the kids know when your stressed and know when times are tough. Never underestimate the power of what a child knows, and the comfort, disabled or not that they can bring.

Peace, NRE.

Either way. . .people do snap. Isn't this better than those people who throw them into rivers or something!? It's cold, hard fact that some people just shouldn't even be parents. At least this gives the kids their right to live!

reply to post by Divine Strake


I think that the main concern for people that understand the danger of the "drop off", is that the system is just as bad. We would actually have to restart the whole system, in order for this to work, and the better it would work, the more parent that would drop off their kids, its a double edged sword.

Peace, NRE.

That is truely disgusting. What ever happened to the time's when people just did good deeds ? People need to collectively get off their bunz and take a stand together against issues like this. While our tax dollars are being spent carelessly for expensive dining and lavish lifestyles, innocent children who can't help themselve's are left for death like a forgotten goldfish. It figure's !

reply to post by DArchitect


Im sorry to say, but that time has come and gone. Its ever man for himself. We no longer live in a village, but in an apartment. We no longer care for our neighbors, their kids or family. We have become a society that see's helping others as a chore, and less as a human to human expression. Its sad to say the least, but very, very real.

Peace, NRE./

Ahh the fruits of socialism... What a sad story. Thats what happens when the state steals from one to give to another in the name of doing good. Now these poor souls and thier families will have to suffer the consequences. Had these programs been funded voluntarily they likely would not be in this state. And socialized medicine pushing fake dangerous vaccines probably accounts for a good number of these disabilities.

But gee maybe we could stop the wars and bring the troops home from the 135 countries around the world they are in and save a trillion a year in military costs then I think we could afford to help these people

reply to post by hawkiye


Socialism=funding programs like these. I have absolutely no idea how you get socialism=bad out of a story that says the social programs are chronically underfunded.

If private citizens could provide this kind of service, then why haven't they ever done it at an adequate level?

reply to post by SmedleyBurlap

Socialism=funding programs like these. I have absolutely no idea how you get socialism=bad out of a story that says the social programs are chronically underfunded.

The government officials claiming these programs are "chronically underfunded" are not underfunded themselves. Their salaries are in place, with regular pay raises. Their pension funds are in place. Their health insurance is in place. Their ability to put food on the table is not in question. Their answer to the "chronically underfunded" social programs is more taxation. It never even occurs to them that taking a pay cut, foregoing pensions and other perks might be an option. They're too deserving of such things, because it is demonstrable that even when their social programs are "chronically underfunded" they're hard at work making sure families are pulled apart, and substandard living is offered for the children. Yay socialism. It is so compassionate.

I live in Indiana and also have a child with autism who is 8 years old. In order for her to have services when she's 18, I was told to apply now as there's a minimum of an 8 year waiting list. The process is extremely complex and the paperwork a mountain.

Me and my husband are older parents and while we do very well and she would be more then taken care of if something should happen to the both of us, I can't help but be concerned for her future well being especially in this economy and the decades to follow.

I suppose what ticks me off the most is I know of some people, even some of my own seedy relatives, who are currently on disability for alleged depression or bi-polarism. The ones I speak of perfectly capable of holding a job but look to the state for an easy ride and bleed the system of funds that should be there for those who are truly in need. As opposed to the waiting list my daughter is on and the immense paperwork that took her to get on that list, these people began receiving benefits within months with nothing more then a trip to the local Social Security Office.

This report is very distrubing and obviously, the system is upside down and broken.

Is there someone in Indiana available to follow the trail here? It would be nice to determine whether or not the drop offs aren't being euthanized. A lot of times these "fabulous" ideas are theorized through the universities first and then carried out in isolated case studies before being implemented cryptically in legislation.

Example

I'm a Libertarian and I also work in the mental health field, but there's always one reality that in EVERY society there are just certain people who cannot take care of themselves, so we do need reasonable funding to make DD (developmentally delayed) or MI (mentally ill) persons be able to live in the lowest level of care possible because institutions are REALLY expensive, Every week I deal with new patients coming in to the system whose families have basically given up - exasperated - and can't do it any more. Many are also substance abusers. So they are "dumped" on the system, which now costs money to pay for programs such as the one I work in (Case Management). Not to mention Medicaid payments (which California just cut to the bone), special housing subsidies, Food stamps, etc. Our caseloads are so high, the pressure is enormous - many of the workers where I'm employed are on some type of anti-anxiety medication. We are completely overwhelmed, and we've had several deaths of our clients over the past year that were preventable, had case managers not been spread so thin we could have done more for these folks and they might still be alive.

God help us all... I'm hoping for the asteroid solution to all of this.

Most people who feel horror at the idea of dumping a kid are thinking of sweet little Down's Syndrome children, Or helpless autistic kids trapped in their own glass box.

I'm a single mother as my husband did not like having two handicapped children, and was repeatedly violent to them, causing even more damage with shaking and nearly killing me when I stood in his way. So I had to leave and take the kids to keep them safe. This meant me living in poverty because he never paid maintenance and I couldn't work because it was a full time job keeping my oldest boy alive. No-one should have to experience the contempt I got for being a single mother, continual humiliation, never, for years, being able to by a treat or new underwear, and not being able to rent a place unless I lied about my situation and produced a fake husband.

At the same time my ex husband had a good income and was not only well respected, but was pitied by the people who heard his sad sob story about how his wife had left him and taken away his children. (Who he refused to see for access visits.)

Now my kids are in their thirties, and still need looking after. My oldest son is 6' 4" and is built like a brick #house, as we say, is getting more aggressive and has violent episodes. He has all the reasoning powers of a toddler. The strain of continually trying to get through to him and restore him to being the nice person he is at heart is one of the hardest things I've ever had to cope with, and my life has always been tough. And I have a degenerative heart disease and was expected to cark it years ago. I love my kids, and would never dream of dumping them anywhere, but I'm writing about how it is so people will understand parents who do give up and just can't care for their adult handicapped children any longer.

I keep remembering an innocent, loving little boy who adored chocolate and was given an easter egg at his special school, and clutched it tightly all day long to bring home and give to mummy. When I met his bus he proudly presented me with a handful of squashed silver foil and melted chocolate.

Since then this darling kid has undergone so much cruelty from his father, teachers, people at his special needs work-place, and assorted strangers he's been torn apart inside, and now goes through times of wanting to kill everyone. Luckily he had a spiritual experience once, (after the girl he loved died,) and saw a ladder to heaven, and talked to God, who asked him if he'd like to come to heaven now. (He answered no, his family needed him.) So sometimes we sit together quietly and just think about him being God's special angel, and how he's here to be kind to people and must ignore the silly ones, while I stroke his big balding head.

How big is that `black budget` again......?


If we don`t look out for the vulnerable in our communities ..... might as well pack it in .

My heart goes out to these parents ......




Enough to make your blood boil !