Community Habilitation Services

What is Community Habilitation services and what is the intent of this service?

Habilitation Services are designed to assist participants to acquire, retain, and improve skills necessary to reside successfully in home and community-based settings.

Activities are designed to foster the acquisition of skills, building positive social behavior and interpersonal competence, greater independence, and personal choice.

Community Habilitation is an in-person service intended to support the participant's acquisition, maintenance, and enhancement of skills necessary to perform Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), or Health-Related Tasks. The service is delivered in the community (non-certified) settings.

Service Components

ADLs, are basic self-care tasks that include:

• Walking and/or otherwise getting around the home or outside.

• Feeding, as in being able to get food from a plate into one's mouth.

• Dressing and grooming including selecting clothes, putting them on, and adequately managing one's personal appearance.

• Toileting, including getting to and from the toilet, using it appropriately, and cleaning oneself.

• Bathing/hygiene including washing face and body in the shower or bath.

• Transferring, defined as being able to move from one body position to another. This includes being able to move from a bed to a chair, or into a wheelchair. This can also include the ability to stand up from a bed or chair in order to grasp a walker or other assistive device.

IADLs are self-care tasks that include:

• Managing finances, such as paying bills, budgeting, banking, and managing financial assets.

• Managing transportation, either via driving or by taking other means of transport in the community.

• Shopping and meal preparation, this covers everything required to get a meal on the table. It also covers shopping for clothing and other items required for daily life.

• Housecleaning and room/home maintenance, this means cleaning kitchens after eating, keeping one's living space reasonably clean and tidy, and keeping up with home maintenance.

• Managing communication, such as the telephone, mail and electronic forms of communication.

• Managing medication, including obtaining medications and taking them as directed, including pouring, administering, and recording medications.

• Learning the skills needed to maintain personal safety in the home and community such as safety procedures, emergency contacts and responses.

• Health management skills, including performing simple measurements and tests; assisting with the preparation of complex modified diets; assisting with a prescribed exercise program; assisting with the use of medical equipment, supplies, and devices; assisting with special skin care; assisting with a dressing change; assisting with appointments, and how to prepare for a medical appointment (sharing information of effects of condition/medication, etc. and asking questions).

• Interacting with members of the community and maintaining religious practices, hobbies, or other interests.

Health Related Tasks include:

• Performing simple measurements and tests;

• Assisting with the preparation of complex modified diets;

• Assisting with a prescribed exercise program;

• Pouring, administering and recording medications;

• Assisting with the use of medical equipment, supplies and devices;

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Examples of appropriate Community Habilitation activities include:

• Providing opportunities for participants to acquire, retain, or strengthen age- appropriate socialization skills, communication skills, and/or adaptive skills that support their independence and involvement in the community.

• Teaching age-appropriate activities of daily living including hygiene tasks, establishing routines, dressing appropriately, etc.

• Teaching participants how to complete age-appropriate daily tasks such as laundry, cooking, personal hygiene, etc.

• Teaching participants how to manage age-appropriate health-related tasks, such as taking medications, preparing healthy meals, or using adaptive/assistive technology.

• Teaching and practicing age-appropriate time management, planning skills, and developing systems for managing tasks/scheduling (i.e. activity charts, etc.).