An interview with Laura Rhodes about Respite Care in
Carroll County
Photo credit: An interview with Laura Rhodes, the Program Development Manager at Granite House. April 4, 2008 Photomontage by Kevin Dayhoff
Monday, April 21, 2008 by Kevin Dayhoff
Westminster, Maryland - This Wednesday’s Westminster Eagle column (Westminster Eagle Opinion; www.thewestminstereagle.com) will be focused on “Respite Care,” a new initiative in Carroll County that has been brought about, in part, by Laura Rhodes.
What follows here are some outtakes from the column – along with some necessary context in order for the outtakes to make some sense.
Please find some additional information on the Respite Care initiative that I pulled off the web in the appendix.
Recently I had an opportunity to catch-up with one of Carroll County’s true whirlwinds, Laura Rhodes.
And no, in spite of the fact that she is has worked for many years in various capacities as a mental health counselor, I was not there to see her for professional counseling.
It was a social call. Ms. Rhodes and I have worked together on many initiatives over the years - too numerous to mention.
As an aside, please add Ms. Rhodes to your list of Carroll County community leaders who are heavy metal aficionados. If you are keeping track at home, that list includes such folks as Westminster Police Chief Jeff Spaulding and former Westminster Volunteer Fire Department President Chris Cull.
We first compared notes on the “Rock Ball,” an upcoming fundraiser for Granite House, one of the largest nonprofit mental healthcare organizations in Carroll County. Ms. Rhodes is currently the Program Development Manager at Granite House.
However, for much of our visit we talked about a relatively new initiative, “Respite Connection of Carroll County.” More on that in a minute…
When I arrived at her closet-sized office, she was doing what she does best – multi-tasking in a number of different directions – all at break-neck speed. To make up for the lack of floor space, Ms. Rhodes uses the stack-it-high method of organization.
If you are not familiar with Granite House; it was established in 1979 as critical resource in Carroll County’s social-welfare safety net to assist folks with mental illness.
Granite House’s network of psychiatrists, clinical social workers, nurses, and licensed counselors assist members of the community to receive the necessary guidance and support to make a fresh start.
In an era in Carroll County when so many folks move here and start complaining before they know any of the history or traditions of our community, Ms. Rhodes took the course that has been a critical component of all successful community leaders; she did her homework. She built bridges by investing years of hard work getting to know the community and our leadership.
In a published interview from a number of year’s ago, it was noted that her “efforts and determination to know the issues earned her a reputation for being well-prepared to make decisions.”
To which Ms. Rhodes remarked, “I always felt that you have no right to criticize unless you're willing to be part of the solution. I wanted to be part of the solution.”
Speaking of doing her homework and identifying current needs in the community and then, Ms. Rhodes was excited to tell me all about a new collaboration to help provide respite care families with children with disabilities and mental health challenges.
In layperson’s terms, this is about giving families, who have a family member who needs constant care, a break - by identifying a network of caregivers and providing them with appropriate training.
The idea is to team-up with other community leaders and mental health advocacy organizations such as Mona Freedman with “Caring Communities of Carroll County,” Sharon Glass - “Families of Children with Autism Support Group,” Heather Powell - CHANGE and Lynne Humphries-Russ - Maryland Coalition of Families for Children's Mental Health, and Karen Koenigsberg – “Get Connected Family Resource Center.”
In an era in Carroll County when so many folks move here and start complaining before they know any of the history or traditions of our community, Ms. Rhodes took the course that has been a critical component of all successful community leaders; she did her homework. She built bridges by investing years of hard work getting to know the community and our leadership.
According to information provided by Ms. Rhodes: “The goal of Respite Connection is to increase the number of trained individuals to provide respite to families with children (birth-25) with mental health disabilities and/or developmental disabilities in Carroll County and to promote their awareness of and access to the new centralized list/registry of respite providers -- The Caring Network Respite Care Registry offered by Caring Communities.
The measure of any community is how we take care of our friends and neighbors in their time of need.
Hats off to Laura Rhodes and the many other folks who routinely roll up their sleeves to make a difference and help sustain Carroll County as a wonderful place to raise a family.
If you’d like more information about contributing to Granite House’s Charitable Fund – or on “Respite Connection,” or any of the services provided by Granite House, call 410-876-3007, ext. 140, or visit www.granitehouse.org.
*****
Appendix
New Respite Care Training Program In Carroll County
Getting Connected Family Resource Center
http://www.granitehouse.org/services/
Retrieved April 21, 2008
The Get Connected Family Resource Center is a referral center for families with children who have developmental disabilities, mental health issues, substance abuse issues, interpersonal violence experiences or other concerns. The Center is also sponsoring a Respite Care Provider training, click here for more information. This is a free program for any Carroll County family and is funded through the Carroll County Local Management Board. For more information on accessing services, go to www.getconnectedcc.org
NEW RESPITE CARE TRAINING PROGRAM IN CARROLL COUNTY
http://www.caringcommunities.org/respiteconnection.html
Retrieved April 21, 2008
Respite Connection of Carroll County Offers Respite Care Training
Information: respiteconnection@caringcommunities.org or 410-549-5707
The Carroll County Local Management Board (LMB) determined that respite care for children with disabilities and mental health challenges is apriority area.
Several county organizations and agencies developed a collaborative approach -- Respite Connection of Carroll County – to address the respite dilemma for families to have more providers, trainers and a linkage to the community.
The goal of Respite Connection is to increase the number of trained individuals to provide respite to families with children (birth-25) with mental health disabilities and/or developmental disabilities in Carroll County and to promote their awareness of and access to the new centralized list/registry of respite providers -- The Caring Network Respite Care Registry offered by Caring Communities.
Two eighteen-hour Respite Caregiver, and two Train the Trainer, training sessions will be offered in Carroll County in May and June 2008 at no cost to individuals. The sessions will consist of respite care training in developmental disabilities, mental health issues, cultural competence, and "restraint-free" de-escalation techniques. In addition, 100 Carroll County families will be registered on the Caring Network Respite Care Registry at no fee on a first-come, first-serve basis, thus increasing their access to respite providers.
Carroll County's Respite Connection is comprised of the agencies and
individuals listed here.
Granite House, Lead Agency for Respite Connection: Laura Rhodes, Program Development Manager
Caring Communities: Mona Freedman RN, Executive Director
FOCAS (Families of Children with Autism Support Group): Sharon Glass, Founder
Maryland Coalition of Families for Children's Mental Health: Lynne Humphries-Russ, Administrator
CHANGE, Inc.: Heather Powell, Director of Support Services
Get Connected Family Resource Center: Karen Koenigsberg, Family Navigator
Vicki Duerr, a family member of a young adult with a disability
FAQ'S COMING SOON! PLEASE CHECK BACK: http://www.caringcommunities.org/respiteconnection.html
Provided by The Carroll County Respite Connection.
Funding provided by the Carroll County Local Management Board
*****
Medicine and Health
Medicine and Health Mental Illness
Carroll County Non-profit organizations
Carroll County Non-profit organizations - Granite House
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Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.
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His columns and articles appear in The Tentacle - www.thetentacle.com; Westminster Eagle Opinion; www.thewestminstereagle.com, Winchester Report and The Sunday Carroll Eagle – in the Sunday Carroll County section of the Baltimore Sun. Get Westminster Eagle RSS Feed
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20080421 An interview with Laura Rhodes about Respite Care in Carroll County
