Meaningful Day News
Fall, 2008
Fall, 2008
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Adult Day Services
The Adult Day Service program is growing rapidly. We currently have 19
individuals who participate on a regular basis. There are four full time staff
members as well as access to Rec. Therapy, Music Therapy, Speech Therapy, and
OT. Our growth and success thus far is due to great effort and support from all
departments within MDS Inc.
While at the Day Program individuals participate in activities to enhance skill
development in the following areas: fine and gross motor, daily living, social skills,
self care, communication, emotional development, academic performance and
emotional wellness. The goals that are worked on during the day are developed
with input from the Individual’s Team members.
The Trailblazers are a high functioning group that meets at the Day Service
Building every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The group is facilitated by Stacie
Matelic, LCSW and co facilitated by an Adult Day Service Direct Support
Professional. The focus of the group is to provide a setting for social interaction as
well as working on such topics as: using a support group, social skills, decision
making skills, respect and dignity, conflict resolution, boundaries, money
management, self advocacy, employability, transportation and health. The group
also has access to Music and Rec. Therapy if the individuals’ budgets allow.
The Adult Day Service Program is currently accepting referrals.
-Amy Richards, MDS Day Services Director
Behavior Management:
Behavior Consultation and Counseling Services continues to experience state-wide
growth and may be soon providing services in neighboring states. In the past
year, we have started provided services to individuals in supervised group living.
We have greatly expanded our services in the northern and southern parts of the
state.
Our southern behavior management team includes:
Jim Cline – district supervisor
Biff Beiler
Missy Cornish
Amber Badgett
Our northern behavior management team includes
David Kurfman – district supervisor
Amy Beaven
Elise Ipock
*We anticipate adding to this team soon.
The behavior management team has been working with the ABA team in
coordinating multi-environmental services for children with autism.
The following are new consultants to the behavior management team in the past 12
months:
Stacey Matelic – Western and South Central Indiana
Kara Newton – North and North Eastern Indianapolis and surrounding counties
Katie Weber – greater Indianapolis
Amber Badgett – Louisville and Deep South Counties
MDS has received many requests for services from parents with children on the
Medicaid Waiver waiting list. In some cases, we have helped them apply for the
waiver. However, our experience in receiving referrals for teen age clients who
were on the waiting list for ten years has taught us the individuals with young
children cannot wait this length of time for help. Consequently, we have been
working with Medicaid and Comp Care in particular to provide behavioral services
to these families now.
-Jim Sanders, MDS COO and Behavior Management Director
Recreational Therapy:
The Recreational Therapy Department has grown significantly in the past 6
months with a 60% increase in client's served and an addition of 3 new therapists:
Louie Kopernak III, CTRS: Central Indiana
Trea Sullivan, CTRS: Central Indiana
Amber Stewart, CTRS: Northeastern Indiana
Our department currently serves 145 client's in Central and Northeastern Indiana.
We have immediate openings to serve individuals in the following counties:
Marion, Johnson, Hendricks, and Allen counties.
Meaningful Day Services is now approved as a First Steps Provider. Our
Recreational Therapists have met criteria to provide Developmental Therapy under
First Steps, serving children from birth to 3 years of age. This is an exciting new
opportunity for our therapists to provide early intervention to babies and toddlers,
using their skills and knowledge as Recreational Therapists. Individuals seeking
First Steps services for their children should refer to the First Steps service matrix
and their service coordinator to choose a provider.
In August, we submitted our internship program packet to Indiana University. We
hope to provide a unique internship and training opportunity for new professionals
in the field of Therapeutic Recreation. Pending approval as an internship site, we
hope to start accepting interns in the Spring of 2009.
-Mandy McQueeney, MDS Recreational Therapy Director
Music Therapy
The music therapists at Meaningful Day Services, Inc. utilize a multimodal
approach to meet the needs of the consumers we serve. One way MDS music
therapists exceed expectations of our consumers is by facilitating social groups. To
date, music therapists are facilitating social groups in New Castle, Anderson,
Brownsburg, Indianapolis, Fishers, and Fort Wayne.
Summer 2008 brought many unique opportunities for the music therapists to be a
part of the local community. The Carmel/Clay Parks and Recreation department
and Pathfinders Services in Huntington invited MDS music therapists to be a part
of their summer day camps. This summer also saw growth in the music therapy
department. We welcome Andrea Dunlap and Sung Shim Kim to Meaningful Day
Services.
• Andrea will be serving the Northeast Marion, Hamilton, and Southern
Madison Counties.
• Sung Shim will be serving consumers living in Southern Marion and
Northern Johnson Counties
Site-based services are now being provided to meet our consumer’s needs. Music
therapy sessions are offered at the MDS Day Program located near the Airport
Expressway, and at local day programs and churches in the following cities:
Anderson, New Castle, Greenwood, and Fort Wayne. Through these partnerships,
we are able to provide a variety of options for service delivery.
Looking ahead, MDS is in the process of becoming an American Music Therapy
Association (AMTA) approved music therapy internship site. Look for our listing
on the AMTA website. Also, we are seeking seasoned music therapists to taking
place to fill open positions in the Fort Wayne area, look for a new face on the
website soon!
-Julie Edgell, MDS Music Therapy Director
Occupational Therapy
The Occupational Therapy department remains small but mighty. We have 3
therapists that continue to keep our department successful. We continue to serve
clients in their homes, schools, and typical community settings. We just started a
successful partnership with the ABA program. Clients were served in the clinic all
summer on a weekly basis. Now that school has begun, services will continue in
the client’s homes or schools.
The Occupational Therapy department is also partnering with the Adult Day
Service Program. We have begun working with individual clients as well as
making general recommendations to assist all clients. A “sensory room” has been
set up with positive results.
-Lori Kiel, MDS occupational Therapy Director
Visit the MDS News Archives.
The Adult Day Service program is growing rapidly. We currently have 19
individuals who participate on a regular basis. There are four full time staff
members as well as access to Rec. Therapy, Music Therapy, Speech Therapy, and
OT. Our growth and success thus far is due to great effort and support from all
departments within MDS Inc.
While at the Day Program individuals participate in activities to enhance skill
development in the following areas: fine and gross motor, daily living, social skills,
self care, communication, emotional development, academic performance and
emotional wellness. The goals that are worked on during the day are developed
with input from the Individual’s Team members.
The Trailblazers are a high functioning group that meets at the Day Service
Building every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The group is facilitated by Stacie
Matelic, LCSW and co facilitated by an Adult Day Service Direct Support
Professional. The focus of the group is to provide a setting for social interaction as
well as working on such topics as: using a support group, social skills, decision
making skills, respect and dignity, conflict resolution, boundaries, money
management, self advocacy, employability, transportation and health. The group
also has access to Music and Rec. Therapy if the individuals’ budgets allow.
The Adult Day Service Program is currently accepting referrals.
-Amy Richards, MDS Day Services Director
Behavior Management:
Behavior Consultation and Counseling Services continues to experience state-wide
growth and may be soon providing services in neighboring states. In the past
year, we have started provided services to individuals in supervised group living.
We have greatly expanded our services in the northern and southern parts of the
state.
Our southern behavior management team includes:
Jim Cline – district supervisor
Biff Beiler
Missy Cornish
Amber Badgett
Our northern behavior management team includes
David Kurfman – district supervisor
Amy Beaven
Elise Ipock
*We anticipate adding to this team soon.
The behavior management team has been working with the ABA team in
coordinating multi-environmental services for children with autism.
The following are new consultants to the behavior management team in the past 12
months:
Stacey Matelic – Western and South Central Indiana
Kara Newton – North and North Eastern Indianapolis and surrounding counties
Katie Weber – greater Indianapolis
Amber Badgett – Louisville and Deep South Counties
MDS has received many requests for services from parents with children on the
Medicaid Waiver waiting list. In some cases, we have helped them apply for the
waiver. However, our experience in receiving referrals for teen age clients who
were on the waiting list for ten years has taught us the individuals with young
children cannot wait this length of time for help. Consequently, we have been
working with Medicaid and Comp Care in particular to provide behavioral services
to these families now.
-Jim Sanders, MDS COO and Behavior Management Director
Recreational Therapy:
The Recreational Therapy Department has grown significantly in the past 6
months with a 60% increase in client's served and an addition of 3 new therapists:
Louie Kopernak III, CTRS: Central Indiana
Trea Sullivan, CTRS: Central Indiana
Amber Stewart, CTRS: Northeastern Indiana
Our department currently serves 145 client's in Central and Northeastern Indiana.
We have immediate openings to serve individuals in the following counties:
Marion, Johnson, Hendricks, and Allen counties.
Meaningful Day Services is now approved as a First Steps Provider. Our
Recreational Therapists have met criteria to provide Developmental Therapy under
First Steps, serving children from birth to 3 years of age. This is an exciting new
opportunity for our therapists to provide early intervention to babies and toddlers,
using their skills and knowledge as Recreational Therapists. Individuals seeking
First Steps services for their children should refer to the First Steps service matrix
and their service coordinator to choose a provider.
In August, we submitted our internship program packet to Indiana University. We
hope to provide a unique internship and training opportunity for new professionals
in the field of Therapeutic Recreation. Pending approval as an internship site, we
hope to start accepting interns in the Spring of 2009.
-Mandy McQueeney, MDS Recreational Therapy Director
Music Therapy
The music therapists at Meaningful Day Services, Inc. utilize a multimodal
approach to meet the needs of the consumers we serve. One way MDS music
therapists exceed expectations of our consumers is by facilitating social groups. To
date, music therapists are facilitating social groups in New Castle, Anderson,
Brownsburg, Indianapolis, Fishers, and Fort Wayne.
Summer 2008 brought many unique opportunities for the music therapists to be a
part of the local community. The Carmel/Clay Parks and Recreation department
and Pathfinders Services in Huntington invited MDS music therapists to be a part
of their summer day camps. This summer also saw growth in the music therapy
department. We welcome Andrea Dunlap and Sung Shim Kim to Meaningful Day
Services.
• Andrea will be serving the Northeast Marion, Hamilton, and Southern
Madison Counties.
• Sung Shim will be serving consumers living in Southern Marion and
Northern Johnson Counties
Site-based services are now being provided to meet our consumer’s needs. Music
therapy sessions are offered at the MDS Day Program located near the Airport
Expressway, and at local day programs and churches in the following cities:
Anderson, New Castle, Greenwood, and Fort Wayne. Through these partnerships,
we are able to provide a variety of options for service delivery.
Looking ahead, MDS is in the process of becoming an American Music Therapy
Association (AMTA) approved music therapy internship site. Look for our listing
on the AMTA website. Also, we are seeking seasoned music therapists to taking
place to fill open positions in the Fort Wayne area, look for a new face on the
website soon!
-Julie Edgell, MDS Music Therapy Director
Occupational Therapy
The Occupational Therapy department remains small but mighty. We have 3
therapists that continue to keep our department successful. We continue to serve
clients in their homes, schools, and typical community settings. We just started a
successful partnership with the ABA program. Clients were served in the clinic all
summer on a weekly basis. Now that school has begun, services will continue in
the client’s homes or schools.
The Occupational Therapy department is also partnering with the Adult Day
Service Program. We have begun working with individual clients as well as
making general recommendations to assist all clients. A “sensory room” has been
set up with positive results.
-Lori Kiel, MDS occupational Therapy Director
Visit the MDS News Archives.