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Winnserv's community residences, located throughout Winnipeg, are home to three to five people with mental disabilities. A team of staff in each home provides daily support and supervision. Residents are encouraged to participate fully in the day-to-day responsibilities of owning and caring for a home – meal preparation, housekeeping, yard work and grocery shopping - as well as taking part in recreation and becoming active, contributing members of their community.
For individuals who require less support and supervision, Winnserv's community support program helps men and women who live in their own homes at the level of assistance they require.
For example, one Winnserv client lives in her own apartment and receives support for only a few hours per week. She works part time at a discount department store, and takes the bus to get there. Winnserv staff helps her maintain healthy eating habits, budget for expenses, schedule medical appointments and handle other day-to-day problem solving.
Winnserv services are flexible and change as each person's needs and wishes change. Winnserv currently supports a woman in her mid-fifties who has Down Syndrome and is experiencing the changes associated with Alzheimer's Disease. After living independently for more than 30 years in one house, she recently moved to a new home that better meets her needs. She no longer works full time at a workshop, but attends a day program a few days a week. A Winnserv staff member is available in her home 24/7 to provide immediate around-the-clock support.
Treating all people with courtesy, dignity and respect is a cornerstone of Winnserv's philosophy. Winnserv offers choices. And when it becomes more difficult to make choices, decisions are based on knowledge of past preferences.
Winnserv provides services for those with a dual diagnosis of mental disability and mental illness, including Alzheimer's Disease. Winnserv is one of a small number of organizations in North America that provides care up until and including the final stages of the disease.
Winnserv also understands that people with mental disabilities are sometimes at risk for unhealthy sexual relationships. It provides two specialized programs in this area.
Winnserv's Women at Risk Program provides community based residential support for women who have a pattern of high risk sexual relationships, but can otherwise function independently. The program offers support and training that focuses on personal safety, decision making and relationship development. Winnserv staff members are present for several hours a day to assist with problems as they arise; and weekly sessions with a qualified therapist help women address issues that lead to high risk relationships. Admission to the Women at Risk Program is voluntary.
For (low risk) men with mental disabilities who have a history of sexual offending behaviors, Winnserv's Specialized Treatment Unit provides treatment, supervision and environmental risk management. This residential setting, where support staff are present at all times, is a highly supervised and structured environment that includes close monitoring in the community, during social activities and in peer relationships. The unit's primary goal is to help these men live as safely and independently as possible, without re-offending. Admission to the Specialized Treatment Unit is voluntary.
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