Caring for someone with special needs is not only challenging but often isolating as well. The responsibilities that come with this role are emotionally heavy and offer no real “time off,” so caretakers spend a big part of their lives feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of their everyday lives. These responsibilities are usually for the long haul, and a good deal of the strain that comes with being a caretaker for someone with special needs centers on making the proper long-term preparations. Future housing considerations certainly top that list.
When faced with significant challenges, we often research precedent — seeking effective solutions that have been tested and proven by others. But what if no such precedent is available? That’s the situation Susan Riggle, our guest on the newest episode of Absolute Trust Talk, found herself in. The mother of twins — one of whom remains unable to say his own name, ask a question, or tie his shoe — Riggle began her journey to find an appropriate and effective housing solution for her special needs son in response to one very poignant question posed by his twin sister: “What’s going to happen to Tommy when you’re gone?”
Unable to provide an appropriate answer, Susan began researching her options. A state employee at the time, she had plenty of contacts to reach out to, but found that nobody had any real answers. And as it turned out, they still don’t today. So, believing herself to be part of a small and isolated group of caretakers faced with this situation, Susan attended a conference in Los Angeles and found more than 400 people in attendance — all of whom were in search of the solution to this very same problem. The bonds that were forged during that 2013 meeting — and the networking that resulted — gave rise to Living Unlimited. A nonprofit centered on creating solutions for the lack of special needs housing.
As the Co-founder and Vice Chairman of Living Unlimited, Susan has found her journey ever since to be both immensely rewarding and often very demanding. In this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, she’ll recount some of the substantial roadblocks she’s faced, as well as the often-revolutionary approaches that Living Unlimited has created to provide special needs adults with a comfortable and rewarding housing situation that’s capable of extending beyond the lives of their parents.
It’s a very captivating episode — Susan refers to her time at the helm of Living Unlimited as a “labor of love” while at the same time freely admitting that she’s not sure if she would have embarked on her journey had she known just how challenging it would be.
In this episode, we’re going to discuss:
And more.
If you’re the parent of a special needs child — or are friends or family to someone who is — you likely know all too well about the myriad of difficulties that come with this role. Listen in as Susan provides invaluable insight into how families can solve their special needs housing challenges and explains how this can happen.