|
When Harry met SERV
20-year relationship shows mutual respect
By Ida Furente Doolan
Director of
Communications
Ask Harry T., a sports enthusiast
and an avid Mets fan, if he is following the 2009 World Series games on
television during this first week in November, and he answers, “Nah, I don’t
like the Yankees.”
But, if there is a Giants or Jets
football game, a Nets or Knicks basketball game, or a
Devils or Rangers hockey game any time on television, Harry is usually parked
in front of his television set in his two- bedroom apartment operated by SERV
Centers Passaic County.
Harry, 44, has been a consumer with
SERV Behavioral Health System, Inc. for 20 years. During this time, he has advanced through
nearly every level of residential services and programs Harry, a SERV Centers Passaic County
SERV Centers of
New Jersey
has to offer
for 20 years,
sits in the back
yard
of
for individuals with severe and persistent his apartment building on a recent day
mental illness. in autumn.
Depending on his needs at the time,
Harry -- who has paranoid schizophrenia, mild mental retardation and high
anxiety -- has thrived within several levels of SERV’s residential settings, including a group home with staff supervision 24/7 and in
a family’s private home with trained home care providers in the Therapeutic
Foster Care program.
Today, Harry is content in the
A-level apartment he shares with SERV consumers Anthony and Jeff, where staff
is on site 15 hours a day. At any time,
he can stop in to talk with his Residential Program Manager
Karen Buroff
or any other SERV staff member in the
office located in the four-apartment building.
On Oct. 30, SERV’s
Passaic
office
presented Harry with a Consumer Recovery Award for continuing to take positive
strides to better himself. He was nominated for the award by his
roommate Anthony.
“I have never come across a young
man such as Harry who puts in 100 percent effort to constantly achieve higher
goals for himself and to inspire other clients to try and do as well,” Anthony
wrote. “After a long stay in home care,
Harry, through constant drive to achieve, (is always showered and changed) and
is on his way to his day program, way before I’m even out of bed. Harry uses all his tools of recovery at his
disposal to improve himself and always does better and better.
“Harry is always willing to engage
an individual in casual conversation about what’s going on in the world of
sports and the political arena,” Anthony added. “As hard as I try, I cannot
keep up with the way he approaches his daily tasks at living life. … He never
swears or acts improperly and I wish that I could be like him.”
While humbled by the award, Harry
says he “felt pretty good about it.”
According to Ms. Buroff, Harry continues
to advance toward recovery because of the right mix of staff support he
receives and through his own diligent input. “His medications are a good fit for him, the staff is a good fit for
him, and his day program at Community Care in
Morris
Plains
where he attends various group sessions five days a week is a good fit. This is a good combination of the right
support plus Harry putting in tremendous effort. All together, you have somebody who excels.”
Maritza Skibola, Harry’s former
case manager in the Therapeutic Foster Care program for more than six years, concurs. “The key with Harry is that he understands
his illness,” she says. “He accepted his
illness very early on and grew to understand…that this is why I am the way I
am. He reads up about it on the
Internet and he is always in the know. And foremost, Harry never refuses his medication, therefore his symptoms
are stable. He has not been hospitalized in many years.”
Ms. Skibola beams as she recalls a
time two years ago when Harry’s mother called her to tell her of a proud moment
she had with Harry when she took him on vacation to Disney World. As oftentimes happens in a crowded setting, mother
and son got separated. Because of Harry’s
past experiences with anxiety in a high-stress environment, his mother wasn’t
sure how he would react to the situation. The two eventually reconnected via an intercom announcement, and, his
relieved mother reported, “He was standing there cool as a cucumber. He didn’t panic.”
Anxiety was at a minimum, as well,
when Harry transitioned in July from the foster-care family’s home, where he
had fewer responsibilities, into his new living arrangements. Along with apartment living comes more
individual responsibility, says Ms. Buroff, noting that staff will instruct and
assist the residents in activities of daily living if there are any
difficulties. Residents are expected to clean
all rooms, make their bed on a daily basis, and do their own laundry and
cooking.
When it comes to grocery shopping,
Harry does not consider it a chore. He likes
to pore over newspaper circulars and clip coupons before heading to the
supermarket with staff. Following his own
shopping list, he heads up and down the aisles and makes sure to read labels
for nutritional facts. A thoughtful
person, he often purchases a few other goodies he knows his roommates will
like, all the while making sure to stay within his budget.
“Following a budget is a big change
for Harry,” says Ms. Buroff. “He decides how to spend: he pays his cable bill,
writes the rent check, and balances his checkbook.” Because Harry is very involved in the
residents’ weekly outings, he makes sure he has enough money to shop at area
department stores and to go to restaurants and Friday night movies.
Harry rates the outings among the
top three things he likes about SERV, directly behind “good staff and good
medical services.”
“Harry is very social and always
ready to make a new friend,” says Ms. Buroff.
His friend and roommate Anthony
would agree. “He is the type of
individual who inspires other clients to follow in his footsteps.”
|
Success Stories
Archives
|
At SERV we share our experience, support and guidance with children, adults and families as they work to
recover from and cope with mental illness, addictions,
challenging behaviors, and developmental disabilities