Written by Tanya Terry, with photos courtesy of Flatrock
The team that works to support the individuals with special needs at Flatrock adult foster care homes are just as unique as the people they serve, according to the leadership at Flatrock. The team of over 800 Flint-area employees was recently celebrated and honored, and the Courier had the opportunity to learn more about both them and their clients.
“For those that typically would be in an institution or are not suitable for group home placement – we have provided kind of a safe haven for them,” explained Nicholas Burnett, CEO of Flatrock.
Burnett elaborated: “We specialize in kind of getting to the nitty gritty of their needs and trying to come up with creative approaches to try to handle their disabilities.”
“It’s a very individualized approach, rather than your typical, cookie cutter mental health approach,” stated Carrie Aldrich, Flatrock’s Chief Operating Officer.
Aldrich continued: “So, because we have a specialized program, it does take more staff than a typical group home to provide these services, to be able to make these homes successful for clients.”
Direct care workers are those who work directly with the clients on the floor, helping to improve their quality of life.
In addition, there is an in-house clinical team that works hand in hand with the direct care worker. This team consists of a psychologist, case management and occupational therapist, who are all integral to the program. These clinicians work daily and directly with the clients and staff, rather than going in once a month. This helps ensure safety, health and learning skills that can allow clients to get into less restrictive settings in the future – or to reach other specific goals they have.
Burnett described Flatrock’s direct care workers as “front line workers.” He said although they don’t necessarily all have degrees, to be successful at helping the clients, they should have humility, empathy and a passion for serving those with needs.
“It’s not for everyone,” said Burnett.
“We look for those who are not only looking for monetary reward but are looking to make a difference in someone’s life,” added Aldrich. “The clients that we serve have a lot of challenges, but at the end of the day, they’re just people like you and me. The more we build relationships with them, the greater they’re going to be in life.”
Additionally, Flatrock homes are custom designed to suit the needs of clients.
“Some of our developmentally disabled clients enjoy the ball pits or using the sensory swings,” said Burnett. “There are a lot of activities that we engage one-on-one with them to allow them to have that recreational time.”
Burnett continued by saying some group homes lack knowledge on how to meet clients at their levels – but Flatrock caregivers have knowledge on this matter.
“In addition to having amenities in the home like the sensory rooms, we do a lot of activities,” added Aldrich. “These are things that you and I take for granted that we’re able to do that they are not. For example, going to a birthday party – or going to a haunted house at Halloween, going trick or treating, going to the beach – these are things that we wake up on a Saturday morning with our kids and go: ‘Hey, let’s do this!’ They have not had that luxury over the years.
“So, we really pride ourselves at not only trying to look at their behaviors and trying to reduce the challenges they face, but also trying to really improve their quality of life.”
A Chili Cookoff, A Glow in the Dark activity, a Cedar Point trip, trips to the orchard, a yearly ‘prom’ and simple Hang Out Nights are also planned for the clients.
“They don’t have those opportunities in the community because, unfortunately, they’re not as welcome as we would like them to be,” stated Aldrich.
An entire team of staff is dedicated to getting clients involved in various activities, and there is a recreation center at Flatrock’s corporate office designed for its clients to do community activities in.
There is a 1 staff to every 2-resident ratio within the Flatrock homes, not including administrative staff, management, clinical staff and medical coordinator. So, for example, if there were 12 clients, there would be six staff on the floor during a shift. Smaller homes may house 4-6 residents, while much larger homes house 10-15 residents.
Earlier in September, at the Flatrock corporate office, all the staff that serve in the homes and their families were invited to a Family Fun Day.
“We had blow ups, and a petting zoo, and food – and just made the day of it,” Aldrich explained. “We try to do things like that as well because they do so much for our residents that we wanted to give back to them as well…They have a very challenging job, and they embrace it, and we couldn’t do this without them. So, we always want to take a minute and recognize them.”
Flatrock’s program began 25 years ago in downtown Flint with one 12 resident group home. There is now a 300-resident waiting list, with prospective residents from around and outside of Michigan.
If interested in learning more or being a caregiver at Flatrock, visit Flatrockinc.org, or visit the corporate office at 310 W. Oakley Street, in Flint.
