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NC Division of Medical Assistance |
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Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 
Friends of Residents in Long Term Care (FORLTC)
“Money Follows the Person” Demonstration Project helps fund individuals who transition from institutional settings and back into their homes and communities
Under North Carolina’s Money Follows the Person Demonstration Project, a growing number of North Carolinians are able to transition out of long-term, institutional settings and return to their homes and communities. Working in strong collaboration with local, regional and state partners, MFP strives to be both a “public initiative and a community effort,” notes Trish Farnham, the NC MFP Project Director. “The wonderful stories this Project has produced are a tribute to those who assisted MFP participants in the transition process and the families and communities who welcomed them home.”
Ronald lived at home until he was 14 and then moved to a group home. He lived the next 20 years in an institutional setting. Ronald is deaf, has autism, a seizure disorder, and does not use words to communicate.
A year and a half ago, through MFP, he moved to the Hickory area, where he lives with his mother, Ruth.
Formerly frustrated and uncommunicative, Ronald now interacts with his mother and sisters and goes out in the community, with regular visits to a nearby Starbucks.
He is active in the visual arts and his painting and drawing have been recognized at the district level. One work recently won a state award. Ronald regularly participates in a day training program where he shreds paper and performs other tasks. He is now on fewer medications and sees the family doctor. Ronald recently went on his first family vacation since he was a young child! He traveled with his mother and a sister to Florida, and a seaside visit…
Another person supported by MFP is Jabreel. Jabreel has autism and speaks little, but he lived at home until two years ago when he moved to a group home. His mother soon saw that he was becoming depressed and that his communication and social skills were declining.
Because of MFP, Jabreel recently moved out of an institutional group home to an apartment in Greensboro where he lives with Kevin, his support provider. The experience has been liberating. Now 21, Jabreel has an opportunity to share his interest in sports with friends and he enjoys singing. He likes to dance too. He does not speak much, but will respond briefly to questions.
Jabreel and Kevin travel to New York often, typically to attend sports events, and also are actively involved in the Greensboro community. “My son now has a warm, broad network of people in his life, and there are more opportunities for normalcy for my son,” his mother, Shelia, said.
“She is so much happier now,” said Patti, the mother of 33-year-old Christina, who is unable to speak, roll over, or raise her arms much above table level. Patti says she could not get a smile from her daughter when she would visit her in the institutional group home, but now “she smiles, she laughs and she sings. She’s home and she can decide what she wants to do.”
At the other end of the age spectrum is Henry, 69, who has schizophrenia and dementia. Henry lives in Charlotte with Anthony, who is his guardian and support provider. He had lived in an institutional group home after his family had become unable to provide him with the care that was needed.
Since he moved last June, the county social worker reports she has seen tremendous change; that his demeanor and attitude have become more free and relaxed. Henry now attends classes and takes part in a day program.
Anthony reports that Henry is comfortable in the new setting and helps with laundry and other household tasks, but really enjoys going out to community events and “getting out” on long trips.”
Looking back it is remarkable what has been accomplished to date, “and we are still early in the program,” the county social worker says. She explains that MFP is a federal initiative that is administered by North Carolina’s state Medicaid agency, the Division of Medical Assistance. MFP’s origins in North Carolina came from the collaborative efforts of the NC Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Centers for Independent Living, other grass roots advocacy groups, and state partners from various divisions within the NC Department of Health and Human Services.
The MFP Demonstration Project is founded on the principle of individuals having the right to choose where they receive their long-term support services. As the social worker notes, “people have a great desire to have control over their day-to-day activities, to lead self-determined lives and to be included in their local communities.”
Henry's sister once worked at the institution where he lived for 20 years and understood the limitations of institutional life. She advocated continuously for him to come out of the institution. Tears well up in her eyes as she recounts the changes that have happened because of MFP, and observes: “We are a family again, and you can see how much this new freedom means to him.”
