My boyfriend is a house director for an organization that takes care of developmentally disabled adults. Unlike the author of the article, he's been doing it fo

My boyfriend is a house director for an organization that takes care of developmentally disabled adults. Unlike the author of the article, he's been doing it for 14 years and loves the work. At his company, each house (there are a dozen houses) has 4-6 adults with full time staff and 24/7 care. It's not an "institution," it's a nice little New England home in the suburbs, everyone has their own bedroom, everyone has jobs or activities they go to every day, they get help managing their finances, they all contribute to cooking (as much as they're able), meal-planning, activity and event decisions. They focus a lot on independence and goal-setting, get their medical appointments managed by people who have known them for years (no getting "lost in the system"), and the organization as a whole has really low turnover -- both with staff, and the clients living in the house (so they form really close friendships). It's really a great place, and most of it is paid for by the state (food stamps, welfare, various grants). Far from being "institutionalized" the guys he works with (and they're all male -- there's are separate homes for women) really feel like a family, and they get better, and more knowledgeable, support in the house than they often might living with aging, or distant relatives. I know homes like these have gotten a bad reputation, but there are some really excellent organizations out there, and there's no shame in saying "you'd probably be better off at a place that's designed to support your needs."