Supports can be provided in a home the individual owns or rents or in a home owned by our agency.

If an individual needs a home our agency will work with them and their family to find a good roommate match and a quality home that the individuals can rent or purchase.

Individual Supported Living

Individualized Supported Living (ISL) allows people to receive support services in their own homes or a newly established residence. This would include a variety of living environments such as a person’s natural home, an apartment, etc. ISL services are typically limited to households of four persons served. Life Unlimited establishes customized staffing supports for people based on their individual support needs. Staffing supports can range from 24 hours a day to just a few hours a week.

Community Integration

Community Integration (CI) is typically for people who need less support. This may include people whose room and board needs are met in their natural home or by another service provider.

The goal of CI services is to achieve and enhance integration and membership for the individual in their community. This is accomplished through participation in a range of activities in the community and through the provision of ongoing support to assist a person in accessing the resources of their neighborhood and the city at large. Staff assigned will visit the person in their home, arrange for and accompany him / her on outings or appointments (including medical appointments), or assist with activities such as meal planning and shopping.

Services for Persons with Prader-Willi Syndrome

Through group homes and supported living services, Life Unlimited provides community living services to men and women with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) . The syndrome, named after two doctors who began writing about it in the 1950’s, is a complex genetic disorder rooted in chromosome 15 and occurring once in every 12,000-15,000 births. Among the diagnostic criteria of Prader-Willi Syndrome are:

• a chronic feeling of hunger that can lead to excessive eating and life-threatening obesity
• low muscle tone
• short stature
• cognitive disabilities

In 1987, Open Options, which later became part of Life Unlimited, opened the first and only specialized group home in the state of Missouri to serve individuals with PWS. In the development of the residential program, Open Options worked with the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association, local researchers and physicians that concentrate in the area of PWS. The program was designed and implemented based on their research and recommendations. Today, we remain the largest – and only specialized – PWS Program in Missouri, and one of the largest residential providers for people with PWS in the nation with three group homes.

This unique syndrome presents special and significant challenges throughout the lifespan, and our program is specifically designed to meet these challenges.