Assisting
Independence
Continued
by Tim Bugansky
photos by Allison Waltz
More difficult than managing the day-to-day tasks at Independence is dealing with the emotions that come with the job. It can be frustrating to understand consumers' situations when the consumers themselves can't do so, aides say.
 Brian Van Almen (left) reviews Bert's token sheet. When Bert receives a certain number of tokens, he will be reinforced for his good behavior and be able to go out and buy something of his choice, possibly a new radio. |
"You see things that are bad and wrong -- aspects of their life -- when they're going through a time they can't grasp," Mayher says.
"They don't know how to deal with these emotions because they haven't had the experiences we've had," Van Almen says. "They're four-year-olds with grown-up problems. And they can't verbalize or express it because they don't know how to. But they do appreciate that you're there and you're helping them."
In addition, sometimes it's difficult for the aides to fathom what it must be like to live with a disability.
"Sometimes it's hard to put yourself in their shoes," Rohr says. "Going home and trying to live a normal life is hard."
Van Almen is most frustrated by the thought of something he hasn't dealt with yet.
"What I'm scared of more than anything is that with Down Syndrome, your life span isn't very long," he says. He hates to think of the day when one of the familiar faces at Meridian will be gone.
But Van Almen is content with his job, given the the things he's learned.
"You ask anybody who's worked there, and they'll tell you that you'll learn 10 times more about psychology in the homes than you will in school," he says. "And it's true."
Above all he has his friends at Meridian.
"These guys give me more than I could ever give to them," Van Almen says.
"They love to talk to you. They don't care who you are or where you've been.
"It makes me know myself better, too."