People Have Intimate Relationships
Once development of the Personal Outcome Measures® was underway, I had the privilege to participate with a number of my colleagues in focus groups and field trials of the draft measures. I went to visit a gentleman who lived alone in an apartment. It was a small place, well-kept, and had that lived-in feeling. The man who had accepted our invitation for an interview was in his mid-to-late 60s, slim, neatly dressed and very fit. His bike was in the entranceway to his apartment and he informed us that he rode it around town as his primary means of transportation. He pointed out that he used the small side-view mirror attached to his wire-rimmed glasses for safe turns. This gentleman seemed comfortable visiting with us and answered all of our questions with thoughtful consideration. He was polite and perhaps a bit reserved, until we came to ‘People Have Intimate
Relationships’. After a slow upturn of a smile and a glimmer in his eye, he told us that he recently had been looking in the personal ads for some companionship and the potential for a close relationship with someone. He then started to giggle and my colleague and I joined in. Although he was not unsatisfied with how his life was going, he was seeking a more personal means of enriching that life and lifestyle. And of course, he was doing it on his own terms. What a guy. What a catch. - Lauri Gellman Wallace
People Are Safe
This interview took place early in my career (2000-2001) with CQL in South Carolina. The interview was witha gentleman who had lived independently with his roommate for a little over a year. They lived in a duplex in the community near a neighborhood community center. This gentleman attended a community-based day service Monday through Friday. He also had the responsibility of opening the neighborhood community center every morning so that others could take advantage for the center during the day. This gentleman, as well has his roommate,had set their daily routine so that they would get up in the morning, have breakfast, get ready and would leave for the city bus stop together every morning, first stopping by the community center to unlock the center, then to proceed to the bus stop around the corner from their home to begin the rest of their day.During the course of getting to know
this gentleman, he was able to clearly tell me what he would do in the event of a fire, hurricane, if his roommate got sick, if a stranger were to approach him while in the community, etc. He was also proud to say that he was the keeper of the keys to the community center and that he kept watch out for the center as well. At this point, I was certain that his outcome for safety was present. We continued chatting about what kinds of things he participated in on the weekend and he said that he didn’t go out very much on weekends. He explained that he didn’t feel comfortable going out by himself, because his neighbor (at the duplex) had a dog that would sometimes be in the (fenced) backyard, he could hear the dog barking and that he was afraid of dogs. I asked him if he was afraid during the week when he and his roommate would walk to the bus stop, and he explained that he felt
comfortable and felt safe as long as he was with someone. On weekends his roommate would be out with family and friends, which meant he would have to go out alone. Despite this gentleman’s ability to address the typical safety concerns, and his ability to go out into the community independently, his outcome for safety was not present and supports were not there either. Support staff was not aware of his fear of the dog next door, and no one had anyone explored his personal definition or perception of safety. - Tammi Watkins
