Success Stories

Sam, is a quiet, 69-year-old man with FragileX, a genetic intellectual disability. Sam lived with his parents in Wilkes County until he was 50. Because he is very mechanical, Sam often helped his father with the chicken coops and other chores at home.

Sam’s father became sick; his mother was overwhelmed. With help from the Smoky Mountain Center, Sam moved into an Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) associated with Community Alternatives, which provides a continuum of community-based services for people with physical and mental disabilities.

While at the ICF, Sam had a part-time job working in a grocery store and took odd jobs fixing mechanical items, such as lawn mowers. While at the ICF, Sam became very close to a support person named Megan.

As Sam aged, he developed Parkinson’s disease and was not able to do as many physical tasks. During that time, Sam became more and more withdrawn. Most of his family interaction had dissipated.

Sam then moved into a group home, where he lived for 16 years. A doctor believed Sam was headed for a nursing home. But Sam, Megan and Community Alternatives created a better option. Megan became authorized to provide services to Sam as an Alternative Family Living provider* and invited Sam to live with her and her family.

MFP was a crucial part of making the transition happen.

Since Sam moved in 2011, he has become a regular at the Ruby Pardue Blackburn Adult Day Health Center in Wilkesboro and has developed a friendship with a staff member who takes Sam to dinner and other places.

Sam has become part of Megan’s family, showing a playful side he often keeps hidden from strangers. Three of Megan’s sons work in group homes and the youngest volunteers at the Ruby Pardue Blackburn Adult Day Health Center. Megan’s family is embarking on a major home project in pursuit of a second AFL, and Sam is in charge of painting.

Last summer the entire family (including Sam) went to a wedding in Missouri. This was the first time Sam has ever been on a plane and may have been his first real vacation.

“I know how much this has changed him to come home,” Megan said.

* Alternative Family Living (AFL) is a support option allowed under the Innovations waiver that enables an individual to live with a paid caregiver and the caregiver’s family.