Christine Gerst

Tuesday, 06 September 2011 19:00

Christine Gerst, a bright young woman with a passion for music, is a pioneer of Self-Determination. She has a love of swirling sights and sounds, and some of her favorite sensory experiences involve playing her piano and harp.

Christine's musical interests have always been encouraged by her family, but when she began Music Therapy, her horizons expanded in ways that her family had never anticipated. The idea for Music Therapy came from the Person-Centered Planning process that Christine and her family participated in through Advocates.

One of the most important aspects of Person-Centered Planning is creating a Circle of Support. Led by their Advocates Medicaid Service Coordinator and Start-Up Broker and surrounded by family, friends and professionals invested in helping Christine plan for a bright future, the brainstorming planning sessions began. The team explored what was and was not currently working in Christine's life and ideas for improving her future. Many "outside of the box" ideas came from her Person-Centered Planning meetings, including the encouragement to try Music Therapy.

Prior to the Person-Centered Planning process, Christine participated in a traditional group day habilitation program. The nature of the program didn't allow for Christine to pursue a life in her own community. The experience and creativity that her MSC brought to the table helped to uncover the possibility of Christine spending her days outside of the day hab program, living a life of inclusion close to home, in the beautiful village of Skaneateles.

"She is a completely different young lady since she began using Self-Determination. Christine's support staff have been instrumental in thinking of things we never would have dreamed of doing", says Christine's father. "We have seen tremendous improvements in her mobility, eye contact and the way she engages with people".

With the support of her consistent 1:1 staff person, Christine's physical strength and mobility have dramatically improved. Upon beginning her Self-Determination plan, Christine was able to walk a few steps with her support staff, now she regularly walks for 30 minutes at the recreation center supported by her Advocates support staff.