But They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength: They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

The InnerLight Farm

We propose to start this community on approximately 200-300 acres of land with five 3-bedroom homes. Each home will house 4 clients and a house "supervisor", generally a psych tech that has been "hand picked" for their genuine love of the population being served, and their desire to help them recover. These staff members will have intense training in how to "talk the client through" a crisis situation, and how to remain calm during these times.

The house supervisor will be responsible for the general well being of his/her four clients: seeing to it that the client eats, arrives on time for therapeutic activities such as groups and psychotherapy, takes care of general daily hygiene.

On the outer periphery of the farm will be several single person dwellings. These will be used to allow the client more autonomy when self-reliance improves and he/she shows a willingness to live alone and care for him/herself. From this bungalow, the client will move into the community. Days will be spent in therapeutic and occupational training activities. Computer classes that will train the client in the use of standard programs being used in business today such as MS Office, WordPerfect, Excel and Web Site building programs will be included in these training programs. There will also be Art therapy, music therapy, and social functions, allowing the clients to interact socially. It is our intention to provide a game room with, game tables, dominoes, etc, for evening entertainment.

If the client chooses, he/she may help feed the animals, gather eggs, or perform some other small, safe chore. This will allow the client to earn a small amount of money for cigarettes or snacks. Pay for each job will be agreed upon by the community at large with guidelines they will follow. The client will have input into each phase of his/her therapy. They will choose which therapies they wish to participate in, and whether to work or not. Part of the clients' ongoing daily therapy will be to perform his/her own ADL's, help with menu planning, learning meal preparation, and other life lessons needed to survive on his/her own, when these skills are mastered, the client will have the option of moving into a private dwelling. When the client feels comfortable with the prospect of finding a job, staff will help the client obtain work with employers that support our program. Once the client is working and feeling comfortable with the success of their recovery, he/she may choose to leave the therapeutic community and find housing in a surrounding community. When the client decides to leave, he/she will be assisted in locating suitable housing. If funds are available, the farm staff may solicit the Foundation to help with deposits, and other necessary start out expenses.

In the best interest of the client and the community, each client should follow these simple rules:

1. 1.Do nothing that will harm any peer or staff member in the community.
2. 2. Take any prescribed medication if needed and continue as long as needed. (This is not restricted to psychotropic medications, but directed also toward medications for medical illnesses. Many severely mentally ill patients neglect physical illnesses also.)
3. 3. Participate in the recovery program developed for the individual client.

The best interest of the community will be served if clients refrain from:

1. 1. Taking street drugs
2. 2. Drinking alcoholic beverages

These two things will not be allowed on or around the property

Donations of cattle and hogs will be requested from local stock farmers. Hay can be harvested & sold, and fruit & vegetables can be grown to help feed the community. The farm will have laying hens, rabbits, and goats. These will provide the majority of food needs.

Other large companies will be approached to provide various goods to the community such as furniture, linens, etc.

The VFW Auxiliary has promised some support to this project, and it is hoped that some local churches will also support the community with clothing & personal hygiene products, donations, etc.

There would be four levels of care. Two levels will be available for residential clients, and a third level that will be available to them after they leave. The first will be 24 hour supervised care. Eventually the client may choose to live in the second level, independently in a single-person dwelling. These dwellings would be located on the property but distanced from the houses, thus affording some semblance of independence for the client. The same rules would apply, however.

The third level of care will be intense outpatient care for those that have left and reintegrated into the community, and the newly diagnosed patient. This care will involve education about the illness, medications used to combat crisis, side effects, coping skills, psychotherapy, and the importance of being compliant with whatever treatment plan is developed and remaining on it as long as needed. The importance of notifying their Doctor as soon as they realize they are having difficulty will be reinforced constantly.

When a patient is ready to re-integrate into the community, he/she will be assisted in locating adequate housing and a job.

We desire to care for all persons with severe mental illness in the community. To this end, we propose the fourth level of care, a "safe haven". This would be for those that have exhausted all other options for living in the community.

This would include:

1. 1. Those with mental illness so profound that he/she is unable to function in an independent or family type setting with relative freedom.
2. 2. Those so institutionalized that they feel threatened within a community setting.

These clients need to be cared for in the same way we care for those that can function, be treated, and eventually recover from their illness, providing the same respect and freedom given to the other clients.

To limit instances of the "revolving door" syndrome; the client that chooses to leave the community while still unstable would give up the option of returning unless his/her case is reviewed by an unbiased panel of professionals. This panel would evaluate the client's success probability and make recommendations as to whether the client will be accepted back into the community. Criteria for evaluation will be determined by the care team.

An attempt will be made to enlist the aid of local physicians to give on-site physicals, dental care and clinics.

Staff for the community will include:

1. 1. Therapists for groups
2. 2. Psychiatrist on call - Psychiatric NP
3. 3. Nurses
4. 4. Farm laborers
5. 5. House supervisors - Psych techs
6. 6. Training staff for classes
7. 7. CPA
8. 8. LPN's for medication administration at clinic
9. 9. Chaplin
10. 10. An administrator

Patients will receive support and interaction from qualified and caring professionals. These staff members will be scrutinized closely. Each will be hand picked and trained to give loving and dedicated care to our clients. Love, respect, and safety will be guides for the staff to live by. Any disrespect by a staff member will result in immediate discharge and the penalty for abuse will be prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. We also hope to enlist the talents of some of the persons that have suffered from severe mental illness. It is felt that these people will provide a level of care that may not be possible by those that do not have that experience.

An oversight committee will be set up and will include mental health advocates, interested professionals, consumers & family members, and foundation board members to ensure the well being of the clients. This committee will help set the standard of care for the client and ensure client rights are not compromised.

This community will help restore some dignity to the person suffering from a severe mental illness. It will give him/her a save place in which to live, provide an income, and enable the client to become a productive member of this community without the ridicule, and stigma attached to mental illness within the general population.

This project will be funded by private and government grants, and public donations, if a person is able to pay for part of their care they may, but this is will not dictate who is allowed to receive treatment.

The only monies received by any member of the foundation will be for salaries earned as a member of the facility staff. Board members of the foundation, the oversight committee of the farm, and corporate officers will all be volunteer positions. The only travel expenses that will be paid will be those in conjunction with fund raising, or to collect contributions of food or materials. We hope to be able to get volunteers to help with some of the work with the animals and gardens.