Imagine! Early Intervention Rock Star - Ally Joel

Congratulations to Ally Joel, recently selected as an Imagine! Early Intervention (EI) Rock Star.

Ally has truly been a rock in EI – she naturally jumped into her position as a Service Coordinator and has eloquently supported her families like she has been doing this job for years! Ally has also tackled her role as EI Admin Supervisor with full force. She has been covering two jobs and has been working very hard to make sure everyone is taken care of. Ally brings a positive attitude to our team, a great laugh when we all need it, and overall is a dedicated and strong individual within EI!

Imagine!'s Dayspring Bulletin - December 2018

Imagine!’s latest Dayspring Bulletin is available online.

Imagine! Case Management Unsung Hero - Stephanie Moss

Congratulations are in order for Stephanie Moss, recently selected as an Imagine! Case Management Unsung Hero.

Stephanie is an extraordinary supporter and advocate for her families. She wastes no time determining what an individual needs support with, and exhausts all resources to ensure those needs are met. In one example, Stephanie had a child on her caseload who was constantly eloping. The family lived in an apartment complex, and mom had a difficult time communicating with the office manager. Stephanie stopped by the apartment office, and requested the installation of locks. These locks were installed, and the child was prevented from eloping in the future. She constantly seeks out ways to go out of her way for families, regardless of the amount of work that may add, all without complaining. Thank you, Stephanie, for being an advocate for the families we support!

Imagine!'s Family Support Bulletin - November/December 2018

Imagine!’s latest Family Support Bulletin is available online.

Imagine!'s Gift Giving Drive Is Underway

“Tis the season for giving, and there are a lot of folks served by Imagine! who could use a little extra Holiday cheer. Our Annual Gift Giving program started accepting donations yesterday, and we’d love to have you be part of it. Gift ideas are below, you can drop them off at Imagine!, or arrange a pickup for multiple items by contacting Elizabeth Hill (ehill@imaginecolorado.org).

Imagine! Innovations Super Hero - Anna Knott

Every month, Imagine!’s Innovations department presents the “Super Hero of the Month” award to the employee or provider who has best demonstrated excellence in one or more of our Innovations Quality Standards:

• Health, Safety, and Wellbeing 
• Effective and Efficient 
• Respect and Dignity 
• Opportunities 
• Integrity 
• Care 

This month, the award was presented to Anna Knott, who is a Coordinator for our Host Homes Program.

Anna has been a huge help since she started, and is always so willing to reach out to providers and guardians. I have worked on a difficult case for the last five years with a lawyer’s office, and have not been able to work out a solution. Anna immediately stepped in and said that that was not acceptable since we are the Representative Payee, and it was important for us to access what we needed to complete paperwork. Anna instantly stepped in and started working with the lawyer through both email and phone, and was able to reach a solution that everyone was comfortable with. On top of all that, I had several other issues that I needed help on during the process, and she didn’t even hesitate to help. It is great to have her around. She really cares for the individuals on her team, and wants to go the extra mile to make sure they are all getting what they deserve.

Tips For DSPs: Navigating The Holiday Season

Today's post is a column submitted by Imagine! employee Jonny Brennan, who has extensive training and experience working with individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD). The Imagine! PR team asked him to share some knowledge on how to better navigate the Holiday season as it has the potential to cause stress for people with I/DD. 

With the holiday season rapidly approaching, our clients’ environments will see a heightened amount of stimuli. Music, vibrant colors, crowds, etc. will engulf us soon enough, and it is so important that we are prepared. One technique that helps is the use of pre-cueing and specific prompting. When entering new environments (stores, parades, holiday parties, community events),  take a few seconds to let the individual you are supporting know exactly where you are going, what the activity is, what time you will be leaving, and if possible, who they will be seeing. This may help ease some apprehensive feelings.

For example: “Joe, we are going to Target today at 9:30am.  When we get to Target, we are walking to the holiday aisle, picking out wrapping paper, then buying it. When we are done buying wrapping paper, we are going back to the car and driving home.”

This is a lot more clear than, “Hey, get ready, we are going to the store.”

Pre-cues and specific prompts allow the consumer time to process the information being presented and may lead to a better understanding of what’s ahead.  Of course, using reinforcing statements each step of the way is imperative!  It may seem silly, but little statements like, “Joe, thanks so much for coming to Target with me, I love shopping with you!” or “Great job finding the holiday aisle and the wrapping paper Joe, you are an amazing shopper!”

These not only act as reminders of the tasks you are completing, but may in fact make previously aversive situations reinforcing and exciting!

Cheers to a wonderful holiday season!  ~ Jonathan Brennan, MA, BCBA

Jonny graduated from Ball State University with an M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis and an emphasis on autism. He received his Board Certified Behavior Analyst certification in August of 2018. 

Conflict Free Case Management Community Impact Survey

In 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a final rule requiring the separation of case management from service delivery functions to mitigate conflict of interest for services provided under Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waivers.

The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing is releasing a survey to solicit feedback regarding the transition to Conflict Free Case Management (CFCM) for services provided through HCBS waivers. The purpose of the survey is to help identify gaps, challenges, and best practices related to the transition to CFCM.

The Department will use findings from this survey to inform stakeholders of the current statewide CFCM landscape; to identify where additional resources may be needed; and for the provision of future training activities and technical assistance. The total anticipated completion time for the survey is about 30 minutes.

Those completing the survey should only complete the survey designed for the population he or she represents. The provider survey is for those agencies providing HCBS case management or HCBS direct services. The stakeholder survey is for individuals, families, guardians, advocates, or other interested parties. The survey will be available through December 6, 2018.

The Department will share and discuss the results during stakeholder engagement meetings in January 2019.

Provider Survey - Click here 

Stakeholder Survey - Click here 

Should you have any questions or requests for clarification regarding this survey, please email CFCMSurvey@navigant.com.

Imagine! Go-Tober 2018 Final Results

Congratulations to Imagine! employees for their outstanding Go-Tober participation!

We took 2nd place in the Suburban Superheroes Network this year, and we have a whole lot to be proud of.

 Check out these Imagine! statistics:

• 161 Imagine! employees participated
• We logged a total of 33,799.2 non SOV commuter miles, reducing CO2 emissions by 9.2 tons
• Employees burned a combined 127,805.319 calories with their walking, biking, running, and rollerblading commutes 
• Employees saved a combined $10,443.22 in alternate commutes

Even though Imagine! did not win the competition, there are several employees that our HR Department has deemed worthy of recognition for their creative and fun Go-Tober efforts:

Most hipster: Erika Skewes – Rode her longboard.
Most enthusiastic: Ally Joel – Committed to alternative commuting every day and logged 44 trips, including a rollerblading commute and several walks in from Boulder.
Most committed: Phil Robinson always rides his bike to work, regardless of weather.
Most consistent: Kate Bergeron - finds an alternative way to get to work every day. From biking, taking the bus, or finding a friend to carpool with, she always finds a way!

Thank You For Voting!

Dear Imagine! Voices friends: we made several posts the last couple of weeks about our participation in the Plante Moran Gives Charity Contest, asking you to vote for us. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to round three, but we would be remiss if we didn’t share a huge THANK YOU for voting, for sharing with friends and colleagues, and for doing your part to help create a world of opportunity for all abilities. Imagine! is a community-based organization, and we can’t survive without that support. Fortunately, our community is absolutely amazing in its support, and we are sincerely grateful.

 “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” 

- Gilbert K. Chesterton

Imagine! Job Fair/Open House Monday in Longmont

Imagine! is hosting a Job Fair and Open House this coming Monday at our Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont.

Are you looking for a job where you can teach, encourage, and support people with intellectual disabilities to live rewarding lives? Then consider Imagine!.

If you can’t make it on Monday, but still want a career where you can make a difference, visit https://imaginecolorado.org/jobs

Imagine! Case Management Unsung Heroes

Today we’d like to highlight some members of our Case Management team: Erica Berridge, Susan Burd, Andy Wagner, Deanna Reynolds, and Heidi Lindeman.

These individuals have gone above and beyond their typical day to day tasks. They volunteered to be a part of the Case Management retreat planning process, which was quite a lengthy process and took many of these folks outside of their comfort zone. On top of their typical tasks, they each took on different projects, such as finding a location, planning/running the activities, locating needed items, and finding a speaker to make this retreat a fun event for all. Each of these individuals joined the team knowing they would take on tasks they had never previously done, and knowing they would be taking on tasks that would stretch their comfort zone level. As a team they brainstormed, collaborated, and planned this whole event which was an overwhelming success! Thanks to the retreat planning team for a job well done and for coming up with such an informational and fun day for all of us! Thank you all for your hard work and efforts.

Change for the Better

Coraly and Jose are from Puerto Rico and lived there most of their lives. They welcomed their beautiful daughter, Sofia, into the world and discovered she has Down syndrome. After researching education and public services for children with developmental disabilities in Puerto Rico, they were concerned for Sofia’s quality of life and decided to move.

When Sofia was one and a half years old, they officially made a transition to the mainland US. Jose is a dentist and had to close down his office in Puerto Rico and start new in the U.S. “It was a lot of pressure to start over and still provide for my family,” said Jose. “but I can’t imagine not moving here, it was the right decision for our family.”

They elected to live in Colorado as it felt safe and has a quality educational system. They found a home in Longmont and Jose continued his dentistry career in Boulder. One of Jose’s patients told him about Imagine! and the services it offers to individuals with developmental disabilities. Coraly and Jose called Imagine! right away and enrolled Sofia in Dayspring services.

Imagine!’s Dayspring offers a variety of interventions for babies and toddlers to help them excel at an early age. “Early intervention is crucial,” said Jose. “That’s why we decided as soon as she was born to make a change.” She received physical, speech, and occupational therapies at home, as well as attended the Community Calendar Activities on a weekly basis to improve her social skills. “It was great,” said Coraly. “Her motor skills, speech, and feeding improved greatly and we became good friends with her therapist.” 

“You can tell when someone is doing something for the paycheck and when it’s because they love what they’re doing. That was impressive to me, seeing the Dayspring therapists work with my daughter because they love what they’re doing,” said Jose.

Fast forward to three years later, Sofia attends two schools, socializes well with her peers and teachers, and is trilingual in English, Spanish, and ASL. Sofia is a big sister to her six month old brother. “She’s a good sister,” said Coraly. “She loves him and wants to help.”

“From the day we moved here to now, it’s incredible to see the change in how she talks, walks, and communicates with others,” said Coraly. “We’re blessed and happy to have known all these people at Imagine!.”

With Your Help, Imagine! Can Win $15,000!

Imagine! made it to the 2nd round in the Plante Moran Gives Charity Contest - thanks to YOU! 

Now we need your help again. Vote every day from today through November 7, to keep us in the TOP TEN, so we can qualify for the final round.

Click here to vote now.

Please share this and encourage your friends and followers to vote for us as well. Thanks for your help!

Imagine! Hosting Job Fair and Open House

Imagine! is hosting a Job Fair and Open House this Friday at our Foothills Group Home.

Are you looking for a job where you can teach, encourage, and support people with intellectual disabilities to live rewarding lives? Then consider Imagine!.

If you can’t make it on Friday, but still want a career where you can make a difference, visit https://imaginecolorado.org/jobs