Community Support Services
Community Support Specialist
A Community Support Specialist (CSS) helps wounded warriors with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury, spinal-cord injury, or other neurological conditions live life to the fullest, on their terms; choosing for themselves how to live, learn, work, socialize, and play. We assist warriors with cognitive and/or physical challenges gain access to resources and activities in their own community. We work as a team to establish goals and develop a personalized plan for each warrior. We are designed as a comprehensive long-term partnership intended to adapt to the warrior’s ever-changing needs. We believe that with long-term support and a client-centered approach, we can help warriors increase independence, develop community mobility, provide home and community resources, boost peer support, and improve their quality of life.
The CSS helps the warrior with functional skill building and every day problem solving. These services may include, but not limited to the development and implementation of household management, accessing the community and resources, meal preparation, budgeting, scheduling and routines, vocational/volunteer exploration, cognitive skill training, memory compensatory strategies, doctor appointment support, health and wellness activities, or other home-based and community-based activities. We encourage each warrior to share their specific interests with the CSS through their ongoing evaluation of their program goals.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT SPECIALIST IS MATCHED WITH EACH WARRIOR
The Bindu Institute hires Community Support Specialists (CSS) who are trained and matched specifically to each of our warriors. Our CSSs possess a plethora of educational accomplishments, work experiences, and other life experiences, all of which enable them to lead and facilitate the warrior’s growth and development toward independence. Their varying backgrounds includes, but not limited to, military experience, mental health background, personal trainers, recreational therapists, and life coaches. Our CSSs work in conjunction with the Case Manager office, our veteran client, and client family members to best serve their goals and needs.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT SPECIALIST INFLUENCE
The Bindu Institute has had the pleasure of serving many military veterans over the years. One warrior in particular, Laquan “Quan” Taylor, served in the Navy and suffered from a spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and PTSD due to a tragic off-duty incident. Nate Honore, Community Support Specialist, met him for the first time at the local hospital in Tampa, FL in May of 2016. He was recovering from surgery, and it took several months to be discharged due to complications. He had little energy and often struggled to wheel himself more than a few minutes at a time. Once stable, he was attending physical therapy four to five times a week.
His initial goals were to increase participation in fitness and wellness activities, identify and implement memory strategies, identify, and access avocation and vocation interests, and develop a support network. In the beginning, he had an apartment and was unable leave unless his family came to pick him up. Nate began to assist Quan with implementing his goals and has been doing so ever since. Quan worked so hard that he was able to reduce the number of sessions in physical therapy and now works out with a personal trainer at the gym. Quan has been attending college for some time now, gotten married, bought a new home, and had a baby. He went from being in a wheelchair full-time to now only needing a cane.
In March of 2019, he participated in wheelchair race over the Tampa Bay Sky Way Bridge and was featured on the local news channel and newspaper. This was a proud moment for us to see him achieve his goals. Additionally, he has developed a support network with some fellow veterans while at the hospital and now at Impact Fitness Gym. Even though Quan has come so far, it has not stopped him from revising his goals and taking it to the next step. He plans to continue with physical therapy in hopes that one day he can walk on his own.
News clip on WTSP channel