Providing Non-Residential Services During a Pandemic

Blog Nancy Spiegel

Our HRC Service Providers who provide non-residential services had to work quickly after congregate service settings were ordered to close, to find alternative ways to provide services to our clients and families on a virtual platform. Thank you to Service Providers for sharing your creative service delivery examples.

Early Childhood

Pediatric Therapy Network (PTN)

PTN mobilized to move all therapies to remote services. “And the milestone moments we have witnessed when the whole family is involved in and empowered by telehealth sessions have been inspirational.” On their YouTube Channel, therapists have created fun videos of At-home Activities for families to utilize for at-home learning through play and music.

Parents turn to online support to help teach special needs children while staying safer at home:  KABC and Spectrum TV featured news stories about this virtual therapy support for children and families.

Adult Day Services

Ambitions Day Programs 

The management team at 3 locations worked very hard to develop virtual programming that continues to keep clients engaged. “Since our closure, we have really become creative in the way we do our programming. We utilize the use of Zoom and several social media outlets such as Facebook, Youtube, and Spotify.”

  • Zoom: we offer classes such as sketching/art expression, culinary arts/ healthy eating, book club, advocacy, community safety, fit club/yoga, and music appreciation.
  • Youtube: Videos that we create. Cooking, DIY projects to do at home, fitness/exercise videos, and Ted Talks (self-improvement).
  • Spotify: music from all genres, relaxation sounds
  • Weekly we deliver activity packages that change depending on the needs of the client. We have a very mixed group with very different needs(sensory, non-verbal, blind, etc). Our activities are catered to those needs.
  • We have also developed a weekly newsletter that offers community resources and updates.

INJOY Life Resources

“In this season of quarantine, we have attempted to offer several options to our members as each person’s situation is unique.”\

  • By creating a weekly newsletter that could be sent to each member, we were able to provide quick access to our daily Zoom Video activities where members can engage with one another through staff and consultant-led interactive courses such as song-writing, art journaling, yoga, graphic design and even virtual cooking classes! 
  • The newsletter also provides web links and ideas for activities members can do from home, Spotify playlists that match each week’s theme, custom art sketches, and resources for dealing with COVID-19. 
  • We also make regular phone calls and send personalized care packages to those members who are unable to participate online.

“The challenges of living in a COVID world are many, but at InJOY, we continue to commit ourselves to find innovative ways to offer the highest quality service so that each member knows they are our top priority.”

Westview Services

“As health and safety concerns increased and our communities transitioned into a lifestyle of staying home, teleservices became an ideal method of providing continuous services to our Day Program participants.”

Westview identified that not all families possessed the technological resources needed to fully engage in virtual (video conferencing) activities. Due to economic circumstances, many families did not have access to WIFI services, computers, laptops, and or tablets.

  • To ensure that all participants were given the opportunity to partake in services as well as to offer a variety of activities available for our clients, Westview implemented additional alternative means of engaging our participants.
  • Weekly DVDs were developed that included daily lesson plan videos and commentary by staff members. DVD content includes exercise, vocational training, social skills along with health and safety practices.
  • Identical video content is shared with participants and families that have technological methods through Westview’s Youtube channel. Participants are given the opportunity to interact in real-time through Youtube Live or participate in the daily lessons at a time that is convenient for them.
  • Staff members call the participants daily to provide individualized services to each participant, discuss the lesson plan, and assist with the activity packets that are mailed out weekly. In addition to DVD and online lessons,
  • Westview provides all participants with the opportunity to join in on video and audio discussion through “Gotomeeting”. Participants chat about social and emotional topics in the twice-daily sessions.

Many families have expressed their satisfaction with the services offered and enjoyment of the video lessons through emails, phone calls, and pictures.