First, it acts as a temporary home for people with developmental disabilities who live in the community but need to come to the health care center to get their lives back into balance, explained Bob Wilcox, unit manager. Secondly, it serves as a home for people who are medically frail and cannot be served in the community for practical or financial reasons.
Many residents can move only with assistance and have complicated medical problems.
Like the residents of Central Wisconsin Center in Madison, people at the intermediate care facility receive occupational, physical and speech therapy. Some work in the community. A kitchen and laundry help people learn daily living skills. Workshop and recreation areas are used for teaching and group activities. The goal is to improve residents' quality of life, increase their social skills and help them learn new tasks that will enable them to live in the least restrictive settings possible.