A Brighter Future

For years C.L. lived with her mother in a small town in New Mexico. Her mother has been getting older and can no longer care for her daughter at home. Aside from having developmental disabilities, C.L. hears voices that compel her to hit people although she feels terrible afterwards.

C.L. was moved to a group home, many miles away from her family. The staff at this rural group home was incapable of addressing her behavior episodes. One day a staff person at the group home hit C.L. back. The staff person was terminated, and C.L. was sent to a small rural psychiatric hospital, but told she could not return to the group home. Different medication trials were tried with C.L., but the medication regimen was ineffective, putting staff and patients at risk for injury. Again she was transferred to a large more sophisticated psychiatric hospital with staff who had more experience. A patient nurse with one-on-one staffing was provided with another change in medications for C. L.

P&A staff appealed to the Long Term Division for assistance in getting C.L. onto the Developmental Disabilities Waiver and finding staff in a community setting that could work with C.L. Developmental Disabilities Medicaid Waiver status was granted under the crisis category, and a program is currently looking for a house for C.L. to live closer to her family.

C.L. is out of the hospital and at an interim program in a crisis intervention program that believes they can support her behavioral needs. When C.L.'s mother called her on the phone the other day, she was able to get her daughter laughing again. There is hope of a better future.