How to Get Started
Arranging care for yourself or someone you love can feel like a lot of paperwork and unfamiliar words. This page sets out the route in plain language — what happens, in what order, and where we fit in. If anything here is unclear, call us on +1 227 277 5967 and we will talk it through with you. There is no cost and no obligation.
Two routes, depending on the support you need
Most people reach us by one of two paths. They work differently, so it helps to know which one applies to you.
- Developmental disability supports — residential support, day enrichment, respite and community supports. These are usually funded through your state’s Developmental Disabilities Administration, and are arranged with the help of a coordinator.
- Nursing support and private duty care — nursing in the setting you call home, or care arranged privately for an older adult. These are arranged directly with us.
If you are seeking developmental disability supports
This route runs through your state’s Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA). The steps below are the general shape of it. Your coordinator will guide you through the detail.
You can also see which services we provide and how they match the categories in a plan →
- Apply for eligibility:You apply to your state’s Developmental Disabilities Administration for an eligibility determination. This establishes that the person is eligible for services. It is the gateway to everything that follows, and it can take some time, so it is worth starting early.
- You are matched with a Coordinator of Community Services:A Coordinator of Community Services — often shortened to CCS — is your guide through the system. They help you complete the paperwork, understand which services exist, and think through what would actually help in daily life. Their job is to work for you, not for any provider.
- You plan the services:With your coordinator you build a plan around the person’s own goals, strengths and needs — what a good week looks like, what support it takes to get there, and which services fit.
- You choose your provider:Your coordinator will give you provider options. The choice is yours. You are never required to use a particular provider, you may meet several before deciding, and you may change your mind later. This is what "informed choice" means, and it is your right.
- Talk to us:If we are on your list, call or email and we will arrange a conversation — with no pressure to commit. We will want to understand the person’s goals and daily routine, and you will want to see whether we are the right fit. Bring your questions; the list further down this page is a good place to start.
- Planning, then start of service:Once you choose us, we work with you and your coordinator to turn the plan into a practical schedule of support — who comes, when, what they do, and how we will know it is working. Then services begin, and we keep reviewing them with you.
If you are seeking nursing support or private duty care
This route is more direct — there is no eligibility process to go through first.
- Call or send us a message:Tell us in your own words what is happening and what would help. You do not need to have it all worked out or to know the right terms.
- We talk it through:We will ask about daily routine, health needs, what support is already in place, and what you want to be different. We will also be straight with you about what we can and cannot do.
- An assessment:A nurse meets the person receiving care, in the setting where care would be given, to understand needs properly and agree what is safe and realistic.
- A plan and a schedule:We agree what support looks like week to week, who provides it, and how it is funded — privately, or through insurance where that applies.
- Services begin, and we review:Care starts, and we keep checking with you that it is working. Plans change as needs change.
What to ask any provider you are considering
These are good questions to put to us, and to anyone else on your list. A provider worth choosing will answer all of them without hesitation.
- What licences and approvals do you hold, and can I see them?
- Which of the services I need do you actually provide yourself, rather than arrange through someone else?
- Who exactly would be supporting us, and what training and supervision do they have?
- What happens when the usual person is sick or on leave?
- How do you handle a concern or a complaint, and how quickly?
- How do you involve the person receiving support in decisions about their own care?
- How often is the plan reviewed, and how do you measure whether it is working?
- What would make you say you are not the right fit for us?
What we will ask you for
Nothing on this list is needed before you contact us — it is simply what helps us move quickly once we begin.
- The name and contact details of the person who would receive support, and of anyone helping arrange it.
- Your Coordinator of Community Services and their contact details, if you have one.
- A description of the support you are looking for, and when you would like it to start.
- Any current plan of service, assessment, or documents your coordinator has prepared.
- Relevant health information, including medications and any known risks, so we can plan safely.
- How the support is expected to be funded.
Start the conversation
Call us, or send a message and we will come back to you. If it turns out we are not the right fit, we will say so and point you elsewhere where we can.