The Saskatchewan Abilities Council is seeking approved private service homes for people with disabilities in Yorkton and area.
Jocelyn McDonald said operating such a home has its challenges, but the rewards go far beyond the money they are paid.
"There is huge personal satisfaction," she said. " They (clients) want somebody to love them."
McDonald said when love is given the clients respond in kind.
"They are ever so grateful," she said.
For McDonald becoming involved was always something she was interested in doing.
"I always wanted to do this when I retired," she said, then adding, "the opportunity kind of just came to do it."
It was a case of feeling as if she had something to give to the clients who would live with her.
"I thought I could provide love and support for the people," she said, adding " I also knew there was a huge need for it our community."
McDonald became an approved home in 1999, following in her mother's footsteps as she had opened her home to the program for a short time.
"I think that was some inspiration for me to do it. I knew the people it helped," she said. " I really felt I could help out this group of people."
Being placed in a home setting is an important aspect of the program, offered McDonald.
"It keeps people out of institutions, and keeps them in a regular family setting," she said.
In her case McDonald started with three clients.
"It's surprising one of the clients is the same today as when I began," she said, adding the other two original clients moved on "when their level of care became greater than I could provide for them."
McDonald admitted when a client leaves it is hard.
"It's like your children moving away from home. You get attached to these people as if they were your own children," she said,
Today McDonald has five live-in clients, all with some level of mental disability.
"The need has always been great. The spots have never been vacant very long," she said.
In her case all five clients work at a day program, which has allowed McDonald to keep her job as a teacher at Yorkton Regional High School.
While out of the home for the day, McDonald said each client has things where they require help and guidance. As an example she said four of her current clients require help bathing.
In other cases it's a need to reinforce things. A client might be capable of brushing his teeth, but get away from doing it well, so needs reminders at times.
"They think they're doing OK, but they're not doing an adequate job at all," she said.
And like any family, problems pop up unexpectedly.
"You never know when you're going to have an issue you will have to deal with," she said.
McDonald said there are steps involved in becoming an approved home with both the house and the operator going through a screening process.
"They make sure it's an adequate and good property and home to live in," she said, adding the people are also checked out to make sure they can provide the safe, secure help the placed clients will require.
"They do look into you as a person," she said. "They need to make sure clients will get adequate care."
McDonald said there are supports in place to help home operators, including meeting a couple of times a year when they can share what works, and what doesn't, as well as ask questions of overseeing agencies.
However, one aspect of support that is lacking is respite care, a listing of people who can be called to step in to allow a night out at the movies, or a week off for holidays, the latter being something McDonald has not taken since 1999.
McDonald said it will not be easy to ever stop having clients in her home. She has decided to retire from school in June after 39 years at the school, then added "but I can't even think about terminating their care. I'm looking forward to doing that job on its own."
