Down Syndrome

Today was our last day at psychosocial FW, & I felt so honored in working with this group of developmentally disabled adults. At the beginning I didn’t know what to expect, & how we could impact their lives. At first, many of the folks did not participate - we would try to encourage them to join us, but some would not participate at all. It was heartwarming to see that by the 6th or 7th session, most of the clients were participating. Some of the clients who had not spoken to us at all began to speak a few words. We could tell they were getting more comfortable with us. Today was definitely hard day to say goodbye to all these wonderful folks.

Many of the adults at our facility have Down Syndrome, some are more functional than others. One of the ladies, who is 52 yo, has been working at the facility for about 30 years. The director talked about how active & helpful she had been over the years, but recently she has become quiet & withdrawn. She no longer has bowel & bladder control & her medical problems are increasing. Her mother & father still take care of her, but they are now in there 80’s & are beginning to have medical problems of their own. I don’t know what will happen to the lady once her parents pass away, but hopefully she can live with one of her siblings.

When I got home I decided look up Down Syndrome on the internet. It seems someone with this genetic disorder begins to develop health problems from aging sooner than “normal people”. For instance, they have a higher risk of dementia, & the signs & symptoms can appear before age 40.

This website has some good information about Down Syndrome - www.mayoclinic.com/health/down-syndrome/DS00182

I have always felt that someone who has the privilege to take care of a person with Down Syndrome is a very special person.