Mental Health Matters: Social workers can help adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) achieve independence by building bonds, learning about their needs, and empowering them to make good decisions.
Not all group home providers have full-time social workers on staff. However, for adults with IDD, Gabriel Homes sees the value in investing in and emphasizing our residents’ mental health.
Mary MacNabb (back row, center) joined Gabriel Homes as a social worker in 2024.
She hit the ground running in her onboarding to get to know the residents and their dynamics. When she meets with residents, she aims to help them feel comfortable and share their thoughts freely.
Residents open up to others in different ways.
Some who don’t like making eye contact are more talkative in the car when they and the driver have their sights on the road. Others prefer sitting down and sharing their thoughts with Mary face-to-face.
“When you meet with the residents, you see their needs change over time,” says Beth Hoyos, director of quality improvement and clinical oversight. “Many residents moved into Gabriel Homes when they were young adults. Over time, we spend more time talking about the challenges of aging everyone faces.”
Mary believes the best meetings are when the residents are being themselves.
When residents speak freely with Mary, she can better understand and support their goals. Her biggest early challenge was gaining the residents’ trust, but breakthroughs in building relationships came over time.
“One of my favorite memories was heading to a resident’s room, asking them to catch up, and seeing them smile. They looked comfortable opening up to me, and we finished our conversation feeling more confident together.”