Running Head PERSON CENTERED PLAN

Person Centered Plan

Kymrie McElheney
St. Bonaventure University

PERSON CENTERED PLAN

Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................ 3
Planning...................................................................................................................... 6
The Meeting................................................................................................................ 7
Outcome................................................................................................................... 10
Conclusion................................................................................................................ 10
Appendices............................................................................................................... 12
The Plan.................................................................................................................... 13
Table & Chart............................................................................................................ 15
References................................................................................................................ 16

PERSON CENTERED PLAN

Introduction
My participant for this Person Centered Plan will be named Jane for confidentiality. I
chose her because she is a young adult with disabilities who is looking to be more independent
and to find a job that she enjoys. She is also my sister-in-law, and I wanted to try to help her
achieve this goal, or to at least cover the options she has in order to do so. I had spoken with my
mother-in-law, who will be named Mary, to see if Jane was currently working toward a specific
goal. When she mentioned that Jane was looking to be an intern at a local nursing home, I knew
she would be perfect for this PCP. I know that it can be hard for people with any type of
disability to find and/or keep a job, not just because they wont be accepted, but also because of
their physical and/or mental ability that allows them to be successful with it. I believe that it is
important for everyone to have equal opportunities to follow their dreams, whether disabled or
not. Even though Jane may not be fully capable, mentally or physically, of completely being
integrated into a job at a nursing home, there are tasks she could be successful at within the
nursing home. Knowing that she would need some training and work with remembering details
that she learns, I thought this PCP would be very beneficial for her and also for Mary.
Jane is a loving, caring young woman who had to endure many horrible things growing
up, and who just wants to live a normal, independent life. She is a 23 year old, who, in some
aspects, is probably mentally in her early teens. She is a product of Shaken Baby Syndrome and
years of sexual abuse by family members and caregivers. Her brain is physically injured from
being shaken. This, combined with the emotional and physical repercussions of the sexual abuse,
aided in her mentality that she is only on this earth to be a sex toy and to please others. She
never felt that she could be a normal girl living a normal life. She thought the abuse was the

PERSON CENTERED PLAN

norm. Thankfully, with the love and help from Mary, she no longer feels this way and is doing
her best at becoming independent and moving on with her life. She is involved with young adult
groups at our church, currently has a small job cleaning houses for a couple of ladies, helps with
activities at the motherhouse in St. Bonaventure, and helps her family around the house.
Going deeper into Janes history means uncovering a really tough past. She was a prematurely born baby and has had to cope with all of the health complications that stem from that.
Low birth rate premature infants are at increased risk for poor cognitive development (Ramey
et al., 1992, p. 454), and this can also cause intracranial bleeding because they are not fully
developed. (Isser & Schwarts, 2006, p. 292)
As a toddler, her mother shook her, giving her Shaken Baby Syndrome, and threw her
against the wall. Because of this, she now has a fractured skull and a brain injury. Her brain is
now continuously softening and she is slowly losing brain functions. Observations of Shaken
Baby Syndrome show that common injuries can include retinal hemorrhages, subdural and/or
subarachnoid hemorrhages, and minimal or absent signs of external cranial trauma (Isser &
Schwartz, 2006, p. 292). Infants can be injured without actually showing any visible signs of
trauma, and there doesnt have to be impact with any objects while being shaken. In Janes case
she was thrown against a wall after being shaken. Such injuries are not only the result of the
physical movement of the brain inside the skull during the shaking, but there is also an angular
deceleration within the brain that can cause these injuries and can also cause death. The reason
why so much damage is caused to a babys brain and spinal cord is because a babys neck
muscles have not completely developed. Ruptured blood vessels and tears cause swelling,
applying pressure inside the skull. (Isser & Schwartz, 2006) According to the American
Academy of Pediatrics, about 20-25% of children who were forcefully shaken or thrown, die.

PERSON CENTERED PLAN

Survivors may have lifelong problems including seizures, mental retardation, impaired vision or
blindness, learning problems, or physical/emotional growth delays (Isser & Schwartz, 2006, p.
294). Jane has in the past and is currently experiencing most if not all of these symptoms.
According to her and her mother, seizures are the main physical concern because she is
continuing to have them more frequently. She is also experiencing learning problems, like
retention of phrases and some normal tasks. It take a lot of repetition for her to memorize
something, and even then it may not last long. As for emotional growth delays, its quite
noticeable that she does not act as a female in her 20s. Certain times and situations are better
than others, but overall she is cognitively much younger. As of right now, she is not experiencing
vision loss, but she does experience major migraines.
Beginning at the age of 8, she was sexually abused by her father. At 13, she became
pregnant by him and had a miscarriage. At 18, Adult Protective Services stepped in because of
the sexual abuse and because her parents were also abusing the system. Jane was placed in the
care of new caregivers, but the father of the family sexually abused her as well. She began to
view herself, in her words, as a sex toy. The mother of this family eventually kicked her out,
blaming her for the abuse.
According to research with young females within the foster care system, posttraumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) is common among those sexually abused. This abuse can carry
psychologically and behaviorally into adulthood. (Breno & Galupo, 2007) These changes in
cognitive and affective orientations occur across four dimensions: (1) self-blame/stigmatization,
(2) betrayal, (3) powerlessness, and (4) traumatic sexualization (Breno & Galupo, 2007, p. 100).
Other symptoms of sexual abuse are problems with a sense of self, with mastery of tasks and

PERSON CENTERED PLAN

body, problems with differentiation and individuation, and attachment difficulties (Lovett, 2007,
p. 581).
Jane was homeless for a short time, and later moved in with her aunt. While living with
her aunt, she was treated as a slave and was made to do everything. Finally, after good people
with the Mental Health Association stepped in, she was placed in the care of her now adoptive
mother and is now living a much happier, fulfilling life. When Jane first moved in with this new
family, she had a hard time becoming attached to them in a healthy way. Because she had
completely lost her sense of safety around a male figure, she was afraid to be at home alone with
her new father for fear of abuse. It took a lot of time and effort to help her to become comfortable
being around him when they were alone in the house. She is now learning how to be independent
and has learned that she wasnt brought into this world just to be that sex toy.

Planning
While planning the meeting, I thought about who would be best to meet with in order to
successfully help Jane. Since she is not a student and is no longer in school, her family was the
best option. The plan was to meet with her entire family at their home and we settled on a time
that we thought would benefit everyone. Janes father works into the late evenings most nights,
her sister is involved with after school activities, and her brother lives out of town. Mary and I
attempted to pick a time later in the evening, after work and sports were finished, but when I
arrived at the meeting, her father was still at work, her sister was practicing for cheerleading, and
her brother wasnt able to be in town due to work. I was left with Jane and Mary. Even though it
was a small group, Mary is the one who knows the most about Jane and knows what is best for
her. All this to say that the meeting turned out better than I expected with the small group.

PERSON CENTERED PLAN

The Meeting
Jane has many small dreams and aspirations that she is currently working toward, like
working at a zoo and also being able to take care of her grandparents grave. However, her main
goal is to be an intern at a local nursing home. Since she loves to help people, she feels strongly
about spending her time with those in need at a nursing home. Her desire is to do as much as she
is mentally and physically capable of doing within the home.
I am unsure of her schooling and what was accessible to her during that time, but I know
that it is a duty of the schools to help prepare all students for a future outside of school and to
also help those with disabilities gain the necessary knowledge and abilities to function outside of
the classroom. The ability of individuals to enter the competitive workforce successfully and
their subsequent ability to enhance the competitiveness of that work environment serve as
criteria for measuring the extent to which their education has been effective (Reiff & deFur,
1992, p. 237). In 1983, laws were passed that added focus on youth and special education
services, strengthened the services that were being offered at the time, and encouraged the
addition of additional services that assist youths with disabilities in successful transitions from
school to work. Due to the economic climate of the 1990s, lack of funding showed a decline in
services being offered. In addition to that, the work force is requiring more and more education
and training for each available position. (Reiff & deFur, 1992)
Recent research has shown that the government is starting to focus on helping the
education community better educate their students for the future outside of the classroom. Many

PERSON CENTERED PLAN

people have the perception that the economy has begun to get better in this category, but it still
remains a researched and documented fact that those who are disabled are more likely to be
unemployed or underemployed than those without. (Reiff & deFur, 1992) Of course, the blame
cant be placed solely on the schools and educators. There has to be family and/or a support
system who are willing to help enable a lifelong successful outcome. (Phelps & HanleyMaxwell, 1997)
The main fear that both Jane and her mother share is whether or not she can physically
and mentally succeed at an internship in a nursing home due to her increasing amount of medical
problems. She is learning and being trained in the process, but her brain functions and ability to
memorize are slowly decreasing and disappearing. According to research in 2006, 46% of youth
with developmental disabilities were not engaged (working, going to school or in training
programs) compared to 18% of youth with learning disabilities. For youth with emotional and
behavioral disorders, more than a third of those young women or men were not working or in
school or training programs (35%) (Johnson, 2008, p. 84). The world tries to exclude from
employment people with disabilities by labeling them as unemployable or too disabled to work.
In addition, many people remain so focused on the disability that they fail to embrace the simple
truth that with the proper resources and supports, individuals with disabilities can be successful
at work (Wehman, 2006, p. 256). While Jane is currently training, the other fear is that she may
not be accepted into the nursing home as a worker due to her disabilities and inability to
memorize or remember data. She has her strengths that can help her be successful in this
endeavor, but she will have to be able to prove that she can do it. Its up to the employer as well,
if willing, to provide a place or a specific job for her within the nursing home that is needed but
is also something that she can be successful in. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

PERSON CENTERED PLAN

makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against prospective employees who have a known
disability. It does not require these employers to hire those with disabilities, but it does require
them to give equal opportunities and provide reasonable accommodations that allow those with
disabilities to be successful. (Wehman, 2006)
Jane has many strengths and talents, but the ones she believes will help her succeed in
working at the nursing home are cleaning, having taken care of the sisters at the Bonaventure
Motherhouse where she is currently spending some of her time, taking care of her family dogs,
and giving hugs. She is also currently cleaning the houses of a couple people who are willing to
work with her and give her a job that she can be successful in. She believes that this will help her
as well, by giving her set tasks that she has to accomplish within a specified amount of time.
Knowing that she will have different tasks in a nursing home that she has to accomplish to keep
her job, she feels that her current jobs and activities are helping to train her for what comes next.
These jobs may not perfectly reflect what she would expect in a nursing home setting, but they
are all giving her needed experience in an employment setting that will look good for her when
applying for intern positions within a nursing home when she is ready.
In order to meet her goal, Jane and her mother agree that she needs to find transportation
to and from the job site, and to not have to rely on family to do so. While she has family who
would be willing, they may not always be available and she will need to have other options. She
also needs to train more and learn more about what will be expected of her. I learned in this
meeting that some training is currently being done with Beth, a friend of her mothers from
church. Beth has been kind enough to take Jane under her wing and help her learn the everyday
tasks she will need to accomplish. While she is currently learning the necessary procedures, she

PERSON CENTERED PLAN

10

also needs to be able to retain the information, and learn more at the same time. She also needs to
physically be able to help out with daily activities.
Had I known that some training was already taking place, I would have included Beth in
the meeting. If we are to have another meeting in the future, Beth will certainly be a part of it if
she is willing. Besides Beth, her entire family is willing to do what they need to do in order to
help her achieve her goal and become more independent.

Outcome
Since our meeting, Jane has continued her training with Beth and is working hard at her
current jobs. She has been practicing information retention by trying to memorize tasks and
procedures, in hopes that this will help her in the future in a nursing home. I believe that the path
that Jane is currently on has the potential to be a successful one. As long as the training continues
and she continues to work hard, I believe that she will be very successful in her endeavor if she
keeps her mind on the goal.

Conclusion
For being my first PCP meeting, I believe it was very successful and has the potential to
continue to be successful as long as the plans set in place are followed by those who have agreed
to help Jane. Just to summarize, Jane is working toward the goal of obtaining an internship at a
local nursing home. She has mental, and some physical, disabilities that could hinder a
successful employment without the proper training and assistance. The meeting helped set in
place what needs to be done in order to help her achieve her goal. With the help of family and
friends, she is currently working and training in positions that are helping her gain the knowledge

PERSON CENTERED PLAN

11

she needs within an intern position and to also generally succeed in the workplace. I think that
she is fully capable of achieving her goal because she is a hardworking, trustworthy, and a
genuinely caring individual.
As for the literature that was referenced in this paper, I believe it fits quite well into the
plan. While I didnt have as many resources as I would have liked to have, I believe that the ones
I did use are perfect for Janes situation. Some that I found during my researching didnt quite fit,
as they were specific to a certain disability or age. Of the literature I did use, it helped to describe
what Jane had to endure as a child growing up and what she may have to endure while
attempting to enter the workforce. The literature also covered the school and family
responsibility to help youth with disabilities gain the knowledge needed to succeed outside of the
classroom. If Jane works hard and continues to train and practice, I believe that she has a great
chance at being successful, with the help of her friends and family along the way.

PERSON CENTERED PLAN

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Appendices

Meeting Agenda
1. Introductions of all at the meeting
2. Cover the layout of how the meeting will
go
3. Talk about Janes history and how she
grew up
4. State Janes current goal and figure out,
in its current state, if it is achievable for
her
5. Plan out what needs to be done to help
her succeed

PERSON CENTERED PLAN

13

6. Appoint people to certain jobs that

pertain to achieving the goal
7. Conclude by making sure that everyone
knows what is expected of them going
forward

The Plan
I chose to follow the following diagram as a basis for the meeting layout. I thought that it was a
good representation of all that needed to be covered, and included an area that allowed us to
discuss Janes history, which explains why she is where she is today.

PERSON CENTERED PLAN

The following is the notes I took during the meeting in order to remember everything that was
addressed.

14

PERSON CENTERED PLAN

Student
Name
Amber H.
Cody H
Thad J.
Asa J.
Stephanie
M.
Emily H.
Jocelyn B.
Beth D.
Ben H.
Derric M.
Liz G.
Christa S.
Adam S.

15

Section 1 Section 2
Average
Grade
Grade
Grade
89
72
81
76
92
84
98
94
96
95
86
91
85
72
65
94
87
93
74
99
86

71
84
95
73
86
84
82
93
95

78
78
80
84
87
89
78
96
91

Table & Chart

PERSON CENTERED PLAN

16

Average Math Test Grade

100
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60

Average Grade

PERSON CENTERED PLAN

17

References

Breno, A. L., & Galupo, M. P. (2007), Sexual abuse histories of young women in the U.S.
child welfare system: A focus on trauma-related beliefs and resilience. Journal of Child
Sexual Abuse, 16(2), 97-113. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.sbu.iThedm.oclc.
org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=26264822&site=ehost-live.
Isser, N. K., & Schwarts, L. L. (2006). Shaken baby syndrome. The Journal of Psychiatry &
Law, 34(3), 291-306. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.sbu.idm.oclc.org/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=23498502&site=ehost-live.
Johnson, C. (2008). Post-school outcomes for students in the state of Washington, USA,
receiving special education services. The Journal of the International Association of
Special Education, 9(1), 78-87. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.sbu.idm.
oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=34258226&site=ehost-live.
Lovett, B. (2007). Sexual abuse in the preschool years: Blending ideas from object
relations theory, ego, psychology, and biology. Child & Adolescent Social Work
Journal, 24(6), 579-589. doi: 10.1007/s10560-007-0108-7.
Phelps, L. A., & Hanley-Maxwell, C. (1997). School-to-work transitions for youth with
disabilities: A review of outcomes and practices. Review of Educational Research, 67(2),
197-226. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.sbu.idm.oclc.org/stable/10.2307/1170626?
ref=no-x-route:176d4fd329756a368c7e5f10a3a7dc20
Ramey, C. T., Bryant, D. M., Wasik, B. H., Sparling, J. J., Fendt, K. H., & LaVange, L. M.
(1992). Infant health and development program for low birth weight, premature infants:
Program elements, family participation, and child intelligence. Pediatrics, 89(3), 454-

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465. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.sbu.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=a9h&AN=4752517&site=ehost-live.
Reiff, H. B., deFur, S. (1992). Transition for youths with learning disabilities: A focus on
developing independence. Learning Disability Quarterly, 15(4), 237-249. doi:
10.2307/1511316
Wehman, P. (2006). Life beyond the classroom. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.