 | Chet West
is the Administrator and Partner of LakePoint Nursing & Rehabilitation Center at 13th and West Street, formally Terrace Gardens. Chet had been the Administrator and Partner of Terrace Gardens for over 26 years until it sold in 1996. During that time he was active in the Kansas Health Care Association for a number of years and served as President of that association. You may contact Chet by e-mail at chet @lakepointnc.com, or by phone at (316) 943-1294. |
Senior Living
2002-12-01 17:35:00
‘Independent living’
: It seems like there are so many different types of ‘living’ today... what is meant by ‘Independent Living’? Does it just relate to people with disabilities?
ANSWER: Essentially, ‘independent living’ is living just like everyone else - having opportunities to make decisions that affect one's life, the ability to pursue activities of one's own choosing.Independent living should not be defined in terms of living on one's own, being employed in a job fitting one's capabilities and interests, or having an active social life, although these are aspects of living independently. Independent living has to do with self - determination. It is having the right and the opportunity to pursue a course of action. And, it is having the freedom to fail -and to learn from one's failures, just as nondisabled people do.There are, of course, individuals who have cognitive disabilities which may affect their ability to make decisions or pursue complex activities. For these individuals, independent living means having every opportunity to be as self sufficient as possible.Independent living isn't easy, and it can be risky. But millions of people with disabilities rate it higher than a life of dependency and narrow opportunities and unfulfilled expectations.Most Americans take for granted opportunities they have regarding living arrangements, employment situations, means of transportation, social and recreational activities, and other aspects of everyday life.For many Americans with disabilities, however, barriers in their communities take away or severely limit their choices. These barriers may be obvious, such as lack of ramped entrances for people who use wheelchairs, lack of interpreters or captioning for people with hearing impairments, lack of brailled or taped copies of printed material for people who have visual impairments. Other barriers - frequently less obvious - can be even more limiting to people with disabilities to live independently, and they result from people's misunderstandings and prejudices about disability. These barriers can result in low expectations regarding the ability of people with disabilities to achieve their goals.Millions of people all over America who experience disabilities have established independent lives. They fulfill all kinds of roles in their communities: employers, employees, marriage partners, parents, students, athletes, politicians, taxpayers, an unlimited list. In most cases, the barriers facing them haven't been removed, but these individuals have been successful in overcoming or at least dealing with them.
