Family for Keeps(R) Transition Care Home

Heroic medical efforts save sick and injured children, leaving some medically fragile–fully dependent upon medications, equipment and therapies. Sadly, however, many of these children survive only to live out their lives in hospitals or adult nursing homes. Their families are unable or unwilling to care for them at home. This tragedy compounds when these children are then set adrift in a sea of good intentions without an underlying support structure. Meet Sam* whose heartbreaking story illustrates the overwhelming need for an innovative, collaborative and comprehensive solution. Such a solution would have ensured his safe, effective care and quality of life. (*name changed to protect privacy)

Sam was a healthy, happy teenager whose life was changed overnight. He went to bed with flu like symptoms and woke up the next morning a paraplegic. He spent nine months in the hospital while DFCS attempted to find a suitable home for him. In the end, he was placed with his non-ambulatory, house-bound, diabetic grandmother. The grandmother’s poor health coupled with lack of education about Sam’s dietary needs created a vicious cycle. Poor nutrition and inadequate care caused his condition to spiral out of control. Sam would wheel himself to the closest convenience store to beg for a bag of chips. Like clockwork, every other month his condition deteriorated to the point he was routinely admitted to the hospital to stabilize his health, and then promptly returned home to his grandmother. Finally, his health worsen to the degree he was admitted to Shepherd Spinal Center to regain his strength. This one last time, Sam was nursed back to health and returned to his grandmother. He died two months later.

During her 20 years experience as a pediatric nurse, unit administrator, and nurse educator, Laura Moore cared for hundreds of medically fragile children like Sam. Although the level of care required for these children is more complex than their non-medically fragile counterparts, it is not impossible. Founded by Laura Moore in 2001, Dream House for Medically Fragile Children, Inc. has spent the last eight years testing, with 100 percent successful outcomes that with appropriate training, support and community resources children with complex health issues can live at home, with a family and thrive. This proven solution points out the utter tragedy hindsight reveals about Sam’s circumstances. To date, Dream House For Medically Fragile Children, Inc. has improved quality of life for more than 950 medically fragile children in 46 Georgia counties.

Dream House for Medically Fragile Children was recently licensed as the first and only Children’s Transition Care Center (CTCC) in the nation. The first Dream House facility under this license is known as the Family for Keeps® Transition Care Home. An 8,000 square foot oasis, the home sits on two acres of tranquil land. Each child has their own bedroom. There are multiple playrooms to learn how to share and interact with other children and adults. Numerous outdoor activities including a playhouse, sandbox, nature trail and pool stimulate their senses. All this is coupled with a specialized clinical care team that surrounds these children with love and affection while tending to their health care needs.
The services provided at the Family for Keeps® Transition Care Home are:
1)Transition Care: The Family for Keeps® Transition Care Home is equipped to care for six medically fragile children simultaneously for a period of up to 90 days, per child. During this time, a foster, adoptive or biological family is recruited and trained for each child, the home is properly prepared and community resources are engaged to create a ‘Circle of Support’ for the family.
2)Respite Care: Caring for a medically fragile child is a full-time job that can wear down even the most dedicated parent. A night out at the movies, a short vacation or just a few hours of personal time is a luxury most parents cannot afford. The Family for Keeps® Transition Care Home can provide much needed respite care for adoptive, foster and biological families for a few hours or a few weeks.
3)Diversion Services: In order to keep more families together and reduce the number of children being placed in foster care, the Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Family and Children Services is partnering with private agencies to provide ‘diversion services’ such as respite, education, skills training, and temporary out-of-home placement for children. Dream House is proud to be one of the community partners involved in this collaborative effort.