Whether attending Melmark Pennsylvania’s day program, living in a program setting residence or a community-based setting, all of the individuals served by Melmark Pennsylvania have regular access to innovative health, social, vocational, educational, and recreational services designed to promote individual confidence, independence, and community integration.

The Anne and Brutus Kenan Center for Adult Services

Programs in The Anne and Brutus Kenan Center for Adult Services provide day services for adults with autism, intellectual, and physical disabilities. Programs emphasize community integration, pre-employment training, volunteer opportunities, wellness and daily living coaching, and social and communication skills training.

Community inclusion is a key goal of the program. Enrichment activities include:

• Program setting and community job training opportunities
• Volunteer opportunities in the local community
• Service-learning projects
• Community outings to local shopping, recreational and cultural centers
• Paid employment
• Participation in Special Olympics

Our adults continue to learn and demonstrate a variety of skills to meet the demands of an ever-changing workforce. Their skills include, but are not limited to: program setting office support, food service at the Eatery (Melmark Pennsylvania’s program setting staff cafeteria), preparing, packaging, and helping to deliver meals to those with critical illnesses, food service support in the cafeteria at a large corporation, general maintenance and restock duties in a convenience store, and a non-profit which helps a diverse population in need. Our individuals are currently engaged in part-time paid jobs or volunteer services for a variety of community businesses.

For adults with more significant support needs, the program offers:

• Appropriate community outings
• Program room activities that enrich each person’s environment based on personal interests
• Wellness activities
• Personal assistance
• Life-skills training

Creative Programs

The Meadows

Established in 1976, the Meadows Program at Melmark is a day program for young and older adults with autism and intellectual disabilities. The Meadows serves up to 60 adults, combining employment activities and creative arts, which provides meaningful work for adults. Many of the opportunities provided at the Meadows include training for the adults to learn the skills necessary to obtain community-integrated, competitive employment.

The Meadows creative workshops include:

• Horticultural and Flower Workshop: Annual and perennial flowers are planted, harvested, and expertly dried, and made into beautiful wreaths and basket arrangements.
• Fiber and Art Workshop: Individuals make knitted pillows, stuffed animals, mosaics, and decorative bookmarks.
• Wood, Ceramic, and Stencil Workshop: Program members produce unique note cards and gift tags, handmade clay pots, and assorted cutting boards and woodcrafts.
• Hospitality Services: The Meadows Tea Room offers adults the opportunity to make and sell baked goods, participate in meal preparation, and learn how to serve guests and maintain a dining room.

The Melmark Players

The Melmark Players theatre group is composed of over 40 adults from Melmark’s Meadows Program who enjoy acting and musical theatre. The group offered their first musical theatre production in 1998, with the debut of “Grease.” Since then, the Melmark Players have delighted audiences with two performances a year. The Players have enjoyed sold-out crowds, enthusiastic applause, and standing ovations. Melmark Pennsylvania’s talented director, lighting specialists, costumers, and crew make each show a delight.

Melmark Pennsylvania has several attractive residences for adults who qualify for placement in an ICF/ID. Two of these homes are community-based and six are campus-based. Our comprehensive resources meet the unique residential and clinical needs of individuals who need significant-to-moderate support for their daily living and for managing challenging behaviors, as well as those individuals who are medically complex. All programming is provided using an active treatment model.

Melmark Pennsylvania has several attractive, community-based and campus-based residences for adults with the following funding streams:

• Consolidated Waiver*
• Intermediate Care Facility for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities* (ICF/ID) (Community and campus-based programs)
• Base Funding
• Out-of-State Referrals
• Private pay options

*Requires an individual to be eligible for medical assistance (Medicaid).

Our comprehensive resources meet the unique residential and clinical needs of individuals who need significant-to-moderate support for their daily living and for managing challenging behaviors.

To meet the individualized needs of Melmark Pennsylvania’s children and adults in our day and residential programs, our allied health services professionals work alongside other professional staff to provide a comprehensive range of ancillary health-related services including:

Speech and Language Therapy: Speech and language therapists are on staff to provide functional communication training for students and adults who are verbal and non-verbal. In addition, these professionals provide continued training in the areas of early language skills, social/pragmatic language skills, articulation skills, swallowing disorders, and, when appropriate, the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices. Services are provided through a direct or indirect model.

Occupational Therapy: Occupational therapists provide students with training and/or environmental adaptations for fine motor development, written communication, daily living skills (e.g. dressing, self-feeding), domestic and vocational skills (e.g. meal preparation). Services are provided through a consultative or direct model.

Physical Therapy: Physical therapists aid students and adults with gross motor needs, coordination, flexibility, motor planning, and balance to promote functional mobility and improve positioning. Services are provided through a consultative or direct model.

Healthcare Services: Melmark Pennsylvania’s nursing staff is comprised of Registered Nurses who have experience working with individuals diagnosed with special needs. These dedicated professionals oversee the general health of the individuals we serve including coordinating on-site flu and dental clinics. They also coordinate routine medical care for residential students and adults, provided onsite weekly by a trained internist.

A behavioral framework is used to assess, prescribe, implement, and reassess the delivery of speech and language, physical, and occupational, and other ancillary services. All services provided follow evidence-based intervention guidelines.