Client Testimonials

Below are testimonials about several Life Skills clients.

Joanna

Joanna has been a part of the Life Skills community living service since October 2008, residing in the Kirkwood apartment building.  Before Joanna came to Life Skills she struggled with food preparation, household cleaning, personal hygiene, and participation in social activities.
 
When Joanna came to Life Skills she found adhering to her gluten free diet to be very difficult.  Joanna now has a wide range of food that she eats, and has become more open to trying new foods.  Joanna has taken numerous gluten free cooking classes and has brought what she learned in class to her own home.  She now participates in all meal preparation independently; Life Skills staff only supervises and offer suggestions.  Joanna now takes pride in developing with staff a weekly menu and grocery list of items she will need. 
 
When Joanna first moved into the Kirkwood apartment building she needed a lot of encouragement from staff to keep her home clean and to take pride in her apartment. Currently, Joanna has her daily cleaning list posted in her apartment but does not need to look at it anymore. She knows what needs to be cleaned and does not need as much of staff's encouragement to do so. Now when Joanna has visitors over they are greeted by a sign on her door that states "Home is where the heart is," which says a lot about the pride she takes in her home.
 
When Joanna first moved into her apartment she needed numerous prompts to get her day going. Joanna now wakes up on her own every morning by using her alarm clock and no longer needs the verbal prompts from staff.  She is now able to complete her morning hygiene with only staff supervision and is motivated to go to work every day. 
 
Since living in the Kirkwood apartment building, Joanna has become a "social butterfly." Joanna currently  participates in the Jewish Community Center (JCC) Friendship group, which meets once or twice a month  for various social events. Joanna also had a part in the JCC Theatre Unlimited group last spring and is lookingforward to the next audition. Joanna also enjoys attending the Natural Ties dinners sponsored through  Washington University. Joanna's staff attends the dinner to assist Joanna in picking out a healthy meal, but  will sit at another table so Joanna can socialize with her friends. This past summer Joanna and her staff attended a Birthright trip to Israel for 10 days. Joanna's mother had stated that she never thought the day would come where her daughter would be able to attend such a trip but Joanna did with much success.
 
Since Joanna has come to Life Skills, she has made vast improvements in her daily life and has become much more independent.  Joanna's family has reported that they now feel comfortable taking extended trips because they know Joanna is being well taken care of by the Life Skills staff, which was not possible two  years ago.   Due to the support of staff, her family and Joanna's desire for independence, she is leading a  happy and successful life.

Tim

Tim began attending Life Skills community connections just over a year ago.  Previously, Tim lived with his elderly parents and attended a day program near their home.  After a hospital stay for displaying physical aggression towards others, the doctor informed Tim's family he was no longer safe living in his parent's home and attending day program.  Tim moved into residential services and began attending Life Skills community connections.   Since coming to community connections, Tim has displayed no physical aggression.  He volunteers every day at various volunteer sites including, Meals on Wheels, the Veteran's Administration Hospital, Sherbrooke Village Nursing Home and Bethesda Dilworth.  Tim did  such a great job his first year, that he now assists his peers at each site.  With Meals on  Wheels, Tim prompts his peers to introduce themselves.  At the Veteran's Administration, Tim brings trays to his peers and puts them away when they are dried.

At Sherbrooke Village, Tim assists with folding laundry and at Bethesda, he assists in the beauty shop.  Recently, Tim's mother and sister stated they have been waiting for years for someone to keep Tim busy and give him a purpose and community connections has done just that.
 

Stephanie

Stephanie has been supported by Life Skills in several areas of her life since 1996 when she entered the community access training service.

In 2005, Stephanie had gained enough skills and confidence to move out of her parent's home and into a home of her own into her community. Stephanie has been supported by her Life Skills community living staff now for the past five years. Stephanie has made tremendous progress over the years including the ability to independently complete her laundry, keep her apartment clean and learn home and community based safety skills.

She is very proud of her apartment and takes pride in keeping her apartment clean.  She loves to have her friends over regularly.  Stephanie enjoys entertaining others, she currently hosts a party about once a month; she has an incredible network of friends. Currently, Life Skills staff supports Stephanie with learning new recipes and decorating her apartment for each of her parties.  This year, Stephanie hopes to learn more about her computer through taking a computer class.  She also wishes to continue her involvement with social groups such as Natural Ties, Theatre Unlimited, and her Unique Strengths exercise class with the support of Life Skills.

Stephanie receives employment retention services through Life Skills.  She works at Dierberg's and is very dedicated to her job.  Stephanie has been with Dierberg's for eight years working in the deli department, maintaining the salad bar one to two days per week.  She is very dedicated and works well with her coworkers and supervisor.

In addition to her job with Dierberg's, Stephanie volunteers several days a week at Covenant House.  Stephanie's coworkers report that she is a delight to work with and is always cheerful and upbeat.

Due to the funding made available by the Productive Living Board, the dedicated staff at Life Skills that have supported her over the years, the support of her family and Stephanie's strive for independence, she is leading a happy, independent and successful life.   

Josh

Josh is a twenty year old young man with autism. Thanks to additional funding secured by Governor Nixon and the  Missouri State Legislature, Life Skills is giving him a place to call home with life-long assistance to live in the St. Louis  community. Four years ago, Josh's mother passed away leaving his dad Ken as the primary caregiver. Josh's limited  verbal and hygiene skills as well as his need to continually engage in sensory activities created problems at school.

Frequent interruptions at work and extra days off to care for Josh caused Ken to lose his job. The family then lost their  home and began staying with friends and relatives. Moving around was challenging for everyone, but impossible for  Josh who requires a consistent routine. Last year we helped Josh move into his own apartment. Josh and his family are now happy and doing well.