Habilitation Aide
Our habilitation aide program provide aides to not only help individuals with their daily living activities, but to also promote community inclusion. For many individuals, this help means maintaining independence, while for others, it means opportunities to socialize.
Home and Community Habilitation
Habilitation Aides
Our Habilitation Aide services provide individuals with one-on-one assistance with building and defining goals. The intention of these goals is for an individual to maintain his or her independence. Individuals select an aide, then work together on skills such as:
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personal hygiene (bathing, teeth brushing)
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self care (grooming, eating)
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personal health care (medical appointments, prescriptions)
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household chores (shopping, cleaning, meal planning, cooking)
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financial management (banking, budgeting, tax payment)
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public resources (public transportation, voting)
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life safety (emergency contacts, fire safety, civil rights)
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social skills (appropriate behaviors)
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Companion Aides
Companion Aides build a relationship with the individual through activities at home and in the community. These activities promote community inclusion and integration, but do not focus on achieving defined goals or outcomes. Companion Aides can also serve the family by providing care when the family isn't home.
Homemaker Chore Aides
Homemaker Chore Aides provide much-needed household help for individuals with disabilities. When an individual is unable to complete a household chore while living alone, a Homemaker Chore Aide can help. Household tasks include things like preparing meals, doing laundry and cleaning.
Agency
with Choice
MCAR was selected by the Department of Public Welfare's Office of Developmental Programs to serve as the only Agency with Choice administrator in Mercer County. Agency with Choice is a Pennsylvania program for families and individuals with disabilities who want to hire and employ their own Support Service Workers. The program is offered to families living in Mercer County and is administered through MCAR.
Families choosing the Agency with Choice option can hire whomever they want, including relatives or friends. Families select how much to pay their aide based on the state's set rates. As the employer of record, MCAR handles the hiring and training of Support Service Workers, as well as the required paperwork, including payroll processing, tax reporting and insurance payments.
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Special Needs Planning
Families often wonder what the future will be like for their child with special needs. The Arc of Mercer County Foundation provides helpful information to families and caregivers, covering everything from guardianship, trusts and wills, to power of attorney, SSI, Medicaid and income protection.
Autism
Social Group
Second Wednesday of every month at MCAR from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
MCAR’s Autism Social Group is a social group where individuals can connect with others, build friendships and share interests. Teens (age 15 or older) and young adults with high functioning autism and Asperger’s syndrome meet every month at MCAR to socialize, battle one another in Wii games, work on computers, watch movies, compare trading cards and just be themselves. Individuals are encouraged to bring activities that interest them or that they want to share with others.