Social distancing means the Cache Employment and Training Center has to be creative in the ways they serve their clients.
“Some of her staff came up to the house and kept their distance on the front lawn, and sang some songs and danced with her. And that meant a lot to her," JoAnn Olney said.
Olney’s daughter is a client of the Cache Employment and Training Center and has Williams syndrome. The CETC is a disability services provider in Cache Valley and is working to support clients during the pandemic.
Olney said her daughter is a social butterfly and the lack of socializing has been hard on her. She said the CETC staff calls on a regular basis because they know how much her daughter loves people.
“Because there is limited access to community activities, we have had to be very creative in terms of the things we do with our clients to keep them safe," Sandra Smith said.
Smith is the clinical director at the CETC and said it is important to make sure they are taking care of their clients’ bodies and minds.
Smith said every family has a coordinator that knows their situation more intimately and can help the client adjust to new social distancing and safety precautions.
Because of the disruption to their schedules, Smith said their clients can become more agitated and anxious. She said this is also an adjustment to their families who are helping to take care of them.
“Our families do get that support at least weekly, if not more often if they desire, just to check in and make sure everyone’s doing okay," said Smith.
According to Smith, the CETC is currently providing resources to 40 local families.
