Especially for our special needs community: online support and community live streams
March 27, 2020
With Day Programs and congregate programming closed, it is important to have a replacement routine for your adult child. There was little time to prepare for such a change and therefore no time to prepare your adult child for the temporary loss of their support system. Many adults count on their day programs for social interactions, current events, community outings, as well as medical and clinical support. Be aware of feelings of loss and boredom and continue to reinforce that this is a temporary situation. If there are time restrictions on phone or computer use, consider expanding the time allowed to connect to friends that they may be missing.
Make use of online resources like support groups and community live streams.
For families of children and adults with Prader-Willi syndrome: PWSA (USA) Family and Medical Support counselors are available to assist families affected by PWS throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. Reach out to them at 800-926-4797 (available 10AM-5PM Eastern) or you can e-mail them at support@pwsausa.org.
Many churches and community colleges are streaming online rather than meeting in person. Support groups are being offered through the web at SupportGroupCentral.com as well as online streaming for religious services. Here are several links:
Episcopal
https://www.diocesefl.org/media/151626/bishop_howard_coronavirus_message.jpg
Lutheran
https://m.facebook.com/gracelcmsjax/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARAeTrf93x5HJtecmFI_KqnAcvw35DSWIWlZbfJulN6YVrXs_Yx2sk08Sly85AVpupa-N_1Zkb7lA9pE
Methodist
https://coe22.com/
Baptist
https://www.fbcjax.com/live
Catholic
https://mass-online.org/
Jewish
https://www.centralsynagogue.org/assets/downloads/OOS3.20.20FINAL.pdf
https://jewishinsandiego.org/our-community/covid-19-resources
Be sure to schedule your child’s day as much as possible and encourage as much movement as your child will allow for. It is important to reinforce that this will not be forever and soon they will be back to their typical routine.