LifeLinks?Family Support Programs help families support a loved one with disabilities living at home. Support is usually in the form of information and referral, cash or other resources, such as trainings. The best quality of care is provided at home with family. LifeLinks Family Supports Programs do everything possible to support families in providing that care. Family Support Programs support families with a family member with developmental disabilities from age 3 years through adulthood, for as long as the individual with a disability is living at home with the family. LifeLinks operates two Family Support Programs. Both programs receive funding through the Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation . One program supports 190 families living in the Greater Lowell area, and the second focuses on supporting 90 families living in the Merrimack Valley who have a child between the ages of 3 and 18, who has severe medical disabilities, in addition to developmental disabilities. This program is called the Family Partnership Program of the Northeast. In both programs, a Family Support Coordinator receives a referral for support through the Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation. Once a call is received, a Family Support Coordinator visits with the family to determine what type of supports are needed. Wherever possible the Family Support Coordinator assists the family by referring the family to agencies that may be able to provide service such as Visiting Nurses, Respite Care Centers, funding sources for home modifications or purchase of handicap equipment, physician referral and much more. The Family Support Coordinator, in collaboration with the family writes a brief Family Support plan, which defines what kind of support the family requires. In some cases families benefit from receiving either direct cash stipends (money given directly to the family to purchase supports) or agency stipends (LifeLinks pays a bill for a family). Typically, cash stipends range from $300 to $1,000 a year. Families use these cash stipends to purchase anything from in-home respite, recreation & vacation opportunities, medical supplies & equipment, clothing, transportation and home modifications. For more information on how you or someone you know can access Family Support services, please contact the Family Support Coordinator for the Greater Lowell Family Support Program at (978) 251-0610 ext.529 or call the Family Partnership Program at (978) 738-0070. To participate in a caregiver exchange program, please submit Application form.
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| Shannon, with services from Family Support Program lives at home with her family |