General Group Home Information:
All of the High Plains facilities are staffed 365 days per year, 24 hours each day. Our staff are awake at all times. Each house has its own Supervisor and is staffed by approximately 7-8 direct care staff. The houses are doubled staffed during peak awake hours and are single staffed during overnight hours. We have numerous staff members that have worked at High Plains for over 15 years, and some since we opened our doors. Service provision at each home is client based and individual to each clients’ needs. Each facility has its own van and staff members provide transportation to an assortment of activities. These activities include a weekly Bible study, ARC activities, Special Olympics, grocery shopping, weekend mall visits, visiting The Plex, eating out once or twice per month, and going to church on Sunday.

Although our primary job is to improve our resident’s ability to care for themselves, we are always in a training mode to teach them appropriate social behaviors and how to interact with others. Some daily living skills that are overseen by the direct care staff in our homes are assisting with laundry tasks, preparing meals, basic household cleaning, bathing and hygiene tasks, completing daily training objectives, resident medication passes, training on medication names and side effects, and attending social outings with the residents.

At all of our group homes, we highly encourage family involvement in their loved one’s placement and care. Our residents are permitted to have out of facility visits with their families on weekends and holidays. There are 2 types of family visits and they are as follows:

Therapeutic Visit: This is equivalent to 3 days out of the facility. With this type of visit, the day the resident leaves the facility and the day they return to the facility is not counted as part of the 3 days. Therefore, a resident could leave the facility for a visit on Friday, visit their family on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and return to the facility on Tuesday. This would be a 3 day or Therapeutic visit. A resident can use this type of visit as often as is desired.

Extended Therapeutic Visit: This is equivalent to a 10 day out of facility visit. Again, with this type of leave, the day the resident leaves the facility and the day they return to the facility is not counted as part of the visit time. Residents can choose to take all 10 days at once, or they may split this visit into two 5 days visits, or a 6 day visit and a 4 day visit. This leave is most often used during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. On one of these Extended Therapeutic Visits, an extra 3 days may be added.