The Independent Living Skills Needed to Live in a Group Home

Group homes are residential houses set up in communities for people with disabilities to live in and receive care. These homes are set up to assist a specific age group or disability. Group homes typically hold six or less occupants and are staffed seven days per week, 24 hours per day by trained professionals. Independent living skills needed to live in a group home can greatly vary between homes.

Varying Requirements

• Because group homes are often privately owned, single-family houses that hold six or fewer occupants, there are a plethora of group homes in communities throughout the country, each having different acceptance requirements. In addition, because group homes are catered to people living with a specific disability or specific age group, independent living skills can significantly vary from home to home. While one group home may house children with mental disabilities, another may house physically handicapped adults, teens with depression or people with a history of sex offending. Contact a specific group home to see if they require any independent living skills to be accepted.

Minimal to Zero Independence

• Because professional caregiving is required 24/7 at group homes, most people accepted to homes for people living with physical or mental disabilities require little to no independent living skills. In fact, it's important to realize that one of the main purposes of group homes for people with physical and mental handicaps is to provide residents with daily care, such as meals, laundry, housecleaning, home maintenance, money management, medical assistance, hygiene assistance and other basic needs.

Planning Ahead

• Because each group home has its own set of acceptance requirements and sometimes waiting lists, it's important to think ahead if you have plans for a loved one to move into a group home. Consider what independent living skills your loved one possesses before researching group homes. In addition to caregivers, some group homes require extra supervision for people who can have zero independence due to behaviors that may be dangerous to themselves or others.

Independence Skills Aquired

• In some cases, independent living skills can increase as a result of living in a group home. Many group homes provide permanent or long-term care; however, some group homes specialize in teaching productivity, adaptive behavior and community integration. These group homes have caregivers that in addition to providing care, aim to teach residents skills that help them to live in a more independent manner so they can eventually move in with their family or another type of assisted-living facility.