An individual with Prader-Willi Syndrome was living in a group home, but wanted to live more independently in his own apartment.
NOSS installed a remote support system, tailoring the technology to his specific needs. Family members were able to receive alerts to ensure he left for work on time and to respond if he needed assistance.
A residential provider agency was supporting eight individuals in four different apartments. They were experiencing staffing issues, and were looking for a way to increase independence while alleviating their labor issues.
NOSS installed remote supports, and the overnight staff was reallocated to respond to the four different apartments when they were needed. One staff person stayed at the apartment of the individual with the highest needs, responding to the other apartments when needed.
In 1996, John was an emergency placement at the Washington Group Home. He'd just come out of a very negative home situations and was removed by APS. For the next fifteen years, John lived in a variety of environments. Throughout his time at each, there were incidences of verbal and physical aggression. It was clear he seemed overstimulated by too many other clients and staff.
In 2016, John began utilizing NOSS remote supports overnight from 11pm-6am, during which he was completely alone. After this switch, incidences of verbal and physical aggression reduced dramatically. However, because John still had staff during the day, there were still some incidences of this behavior. In 2021, John's team decided he would be better served with more alone time, so they decided to utilize remote supports during the day in addition to overnights.
This change improved John's quality of life tremendously. The incidences of negative behavior decreased significantly. John is much happier and more cooperative given more independence, according to his Behavior Specialist. If you go by to visit him today, you'll probably find him on his front porch on his favorite swing.
The idea of using NOSS services was presented at our stakeholders meeting a month ago. They are all very happy and say they never want to live with 24-hour supervision again. NOSS has given them independence that has increased their freedom of choice in so many ways.
For example, they can choose what they want for supper, what or where they want to go in the community or if they would rather stay home since they don't have to do everything as a group. It has increased vocational opportunities for one individual due to his new location and flexibility with his schedule in the evenings.
All four guys have blossomed socially with improved communication and increased indication of preference in all areas of their life. I would say the only struggle with the freedom of choice comes the freedom to call in sick when they may not truly be ill. But with that comes natural consequences of losing work for frequent call-ins, etc.
Any bump in the road we have come across has worked itself so far, and the guys and their teams couldn't be happier with NOSS.
We were presented with a request from a young man and his family to have non-intrusive but safe overnight supports. The traditional option of putting a staff person in the home for overnights could not be an option for a number of reasons, including the person not wanting someone staying overnight all of the time. Options were researched and Night Owl Support Systems seemed to be the answer. When they were contacted, the response was very timely and within weeks, the system was installed and up and running.
For well over a year, the Night Owl Support Systems has been a true success for this person. He is able to talk to someone anytime if he needs help. Night Owl staff are able to check in when there is an alert and the first responders have been able to mitigate any overnight need without having staff spend the night! Using Night Owl Support Systems has provided the opportunity for this young person to be able to have the maximum level of independence, while family and team members are assured by the very reliable safety net that is in place. Every day since beginning the services, we have received an email indicating how the evening before went and working with the Night Owl Support Systems staff is a real pleasure
If anyone ever wants to speak with any of us, we would be glad to share our confidence in and appreciation for your service.
