See also: Advice about Caring for a Disabled Adult

My brothers current care facility is closing and we are looking to relocate him to the Bay Area. I am looking for any recommendations on live in care facilities, day care programs, job training/placement programs, or tips on where to start our search. He is 38 years old and classified as having low intellectual functioning (borderline retarded) and delayed development.

Adult care: If your brother is eligible for SSI (and/or meets some other eligibility requirements) he may be eligible for an in-home caretaker through In Home Supportive Services (IHSS). Call them at 510-567-8080 for more info. Also there is a pretty nice Adult Day Care program at Summit Hospital in Oakland. It's called Summit Adult Day Health Care.

For Brain's search for recommendations on live in adult care facilities, day care programs, & job training/placement programs - Stepping Stones Growth Center - (510) 568-3331. I worked there for years; they've relocated to San Leandro from Oakland. The director is Monte Cohen. They provide individualized on-the-job training in the real work world and employment services for adults with special needs. They also provide one-on-one independent living skills training. They are not a residential facility. One residential facility I remember is Clausen House in Oakland, they have several houses around Lake Merritt. I haven't heard much about them lately so can't really recommend, but I know they are still in operation.

Do you know about the Regional Center of the East Bay? Your brother sounds like he probably qualifies for their services due to his developmental disability, as long as his disability was not caused by an injury after the age of 18. He should have a case manager there finding him all the appropriate programs (and funding them). They're in Oakland and their phone # is listed. If you have problems with RCEB call Protection and Advocacy at 839-0811. They were created by federal legislation to do legal advocacy for people with developmental disabilities and their families.

You might be interested in Supported Living, a new model to make community inclusion possible for this population? Check out the web page of Allen & Shea in Napa (and the link to CIRCL) at www.napanet.net/business/personal/ASA/ASA.html.

If you have more questions after you've done these things, please feel free to email me. gibbs1 AT uclink4.berkeley.edu

I suggest the following two places to get info on resources for the adult sibling who is developmentally delayed:

Family Resource Network 510 547-7322 and

Support for Families of Children with Disabilities (yes- they also can give info for adults with disabilities). Their number is 415 469-4518.

The West County Older Adults Clinic (510) 3743629 has a very good support group for children of aging parents. The social worker provides information and guidance on where to go to get legal advice when dealing with elderly parents. I attended the support group for two sessions and from my experience I can tell you that there is not much you can do about the situation unless you can convince a judge that your father is incompetent. They helped me discover that there is only so much I could do.