When Ivis was discharged from a nursing home, she soon realized family members would not be able to provide support for her basic needs such as bathing and getting dressed. Ivis came to DRM seeking assistance in obtaining in-home services. Within three months of DRM’s intervention, she was able to receive services through Medicaid’s waiver program. Ivis says “If I wasn’t on waiver program, I’d probably still be in a nursing home.”
DRM’s advocacy inspired Ivis to join DRM’s group of self-advocates, the Sunshine Folk; individuals all with lived experience in a nursing home who now live in the community, and educate current nursing home residents on their Medicaid waiver options. The Sunshine Folk follow each individual through the entire discharge process into the community. Ivis expresses her deep fulfillment in this work stating “when you see someone walkthrough their process and they end up back in the community…hands down, there’s nothing like it. It’s awesome!”
