Independence Makes All the Difference

Michelle moved to New Danville shortly after its residential community, Meadowbrook, opened in 2010.  Her experiences with group home routines left her frustrated; she has a stronger sense of independence than routine activities and routine meals provided. “I told my parents that I needed something different. They found New Danville. I moved in and I love it.” Her mom received a recommendation for New Danville and they quickly knew it was a match.

Michelle considers the two-minute walk to day program one of the perks of living on site. She laughs when the trip is referred to as a “commute.” Walking to day program activities aren’t the end of her getting around the campus.  “I enjoy walking on the weekends. Sometimes I visit the animals.  It is nice out here.”

The current, long-lasting heat wave makes walking a bit tougher, but she enjoys plenty of other activities to keep her busy. “I have a laptop that plays DVDs, so I enjoy watching movies. Scary movies like Halloween, in particular. I like reading, too. I really enjoy doing puzzles.” Her puzzle preference is the holographic type, “including the 500- or 1000-piece puzzles,” she said. “I would do puzzles with my grandpa when I was a young.  I have been putting them together ever since.”

Living on her own provides her the opportunity to make more of her own decisions about what to do with her time, what to eat and other things that give her the sense of her life instead of being someone else’s routine.

She would like to see the addition of a facility where Wranglers and residents could be active and exercise. Until that facility is built, the upcoming outdoor fitness pocket park and walking will do.