Lifetime Secure Personal Assistance Network

Causes: Developmentally Disabled Centers, Disabilities, Human Services

Mission: To support families in developing a safe, secure, and quality future for their relatives with disabilities.

Programs: Personal networks formed around a focus person with disabilities, designed to create safety and security and ideally continue for the lifetime of the person with disabilities, after parents are gone. There are 17 networks with a focus person at center, quarterly meetings, with approximately 10 members per network. Workshops & trainings for families: in 2017 a meeting was held for the lifespan community. A total of 20 participants attended the day-long meeting in july to assess our needs as a community and plan for the future. We held 2 stone soup & social gatherings to facilitate networking & learning (about 10-20 participants at each meeting). Additional outreach included a "facing the future together: succession planning workshop", which had 15 participants, and a pilot workshop entitled "personal safety nets for families supporting loved ones with a disability", which had 4 participants. The future planning consultation is a process that helps a family review the current state of affairs pertaining to their relative with a disability and options for the future. In 2017 we did not conduct a consultation. Lifespan also sponsors informal events for member families as well as the broader community, designed to strengthen our organization and provide more opportunities for friendship and relationship to grow. In 2017 we held a summer bbq (approx. 40 attendees) and a annual holiday party (approx. 70 attendees).