The long road home is something many will never journey down simply because they don't know their rights. To bring awareness to the community about the rights of people with disabilities that have been placed in nursing homes, BAIN, Inc held a ceremony in Willis Park as the kick-off for this year's Long Road Home 4 day event.

BAIN Executive Director with Mayor Harrell in background

The Long Road Home began several years ago in celebration of the Olmstead Decision. 10 years ago the U.S. Supreme Court issued the Olmstead v. L.C. decision which changed the lives of thousands of disabled persons who had been placed in nursing home but had the desire to live independently out in the community. Most were placed there by family and there was no law that said they could transition out. They were stuck. All their money went to the nursing home for their care and there were few community based services or advocates for them.

In the Olmstead decision the court ruled that the Americans with Disabilities Act may require states to provide community-based services rather than institutional placements for individuals with disabilities.

In a 6-3 opinion written by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the court affirmed a ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, saying that "unjustified isolation of individuals with disabilities is properly regarded as discrimination based on disability."

BAIN, with the work of their Nursing Home Transition Coordinator Wanda Becon, has successfully helped 3 of their consumers transition from a nursing home to the community. This is one of their stories.

 

Wanda Becon and Kevin Mitchell

My name is Kevin Mitchell, and I am a successful nursing home transition consumer. 

In 2003, I had a stroke that affected one side of my body;  thus, limiting my mobility.  After my stroke, I was placed in Pinewood Nursing Home in Whigham, Ga.  Although my mobility was affected, I still had the desire to live out in the community, but just didn’t know the proper way to go about getting out of the nursing home.  BAIN’s Nursing Home Transition Coordinator (NHT), Wanda Becon came to my rescue. 

Upon beginning the process, she worked with both myself and my physician to make sure that the transition out of the nursing home would be medically safe for me.  After getting the physician’s signature and approval, Ms Becon began assisting me in trying to find affordable housing. After finding affordable, subsidized housing, we began to work on getting my financial business organized. 

Ms Becon took me to the Social Security Administration Office to sign all of the necessary paperwork needed to be able to get my monthly check put in my name.  The next step in this process was deposits for my electrical and telephone services.  BAIN was able to assist in paying these deposits so that those necessary items could be turned on. 

This organization also assisted me in start-up groceries, living room, bedroom, & kitchen furnishings.  Ms Becon is continuing to assist me with organizing and managing my finances.  Overall, I have accomplished many goals through working with BAIN, Inc.  I am thankful for the assistance that BAIN, Inc. has provided to me in making it possible to move back out in the community.