My Supports

I tend to think of supports as falling into one of  two categories; physical or emotional.

Physical: In order to survive, I must have certain supports such as:

• A vehicle
• Money
• Appliances
• Stores
• Food
• House
• Computer

Emotional: In order to survive happily I depend on:

• My husband, who is a good listener  :  )
• My children
• the YMCA, where I can work the stress out, sometimes
• Computer, where my online friends are
• Music, another good stress-buster

Obviously, the physical supports make my life easier. If I didn't have a car, home, job, computer, I could still survive but it would be a much less comfortable life! Same with my emotional supports - they aren't absolutely essential to my survival but I would be lonely, less motivated, and probably very depressed without them.

My 23 year old niece has Down Syndrome. Her support needs are a bit different. If I had Down Syndrome, I would need much more custodial assistance; help with dressing, someone to cook and clean for me. I would need a driver, and someone to handle my money. I would need many things explained to me. Someone would need to accompany me everywhere, to keep me safe. Someone would have to live with me, help me keep myself clean, pay my bills and take care of all paperwork, make sure I got my medication, etc. If I were on my own, I could easily get hurt, sicken, or even die due to neglect.

Socially, I would need help staying healthy, happy, and challenged. If I didn't have these supports, I would become very depressed and isolated. This, too, could lead to illness and even death.