Brothers Mike and Ryan are like many siblings close in age: they share a number of interests while simultaneously vying for the spotlight.  In between their good-natured sparring over who is smarter or better-looking, they make time for concerts, Mets and Jets games and adding to the collection of vintage signs that cover their bedroom walls.

The brothers also share two very important people in their lives: their physical therapist, Paul, and their nurse, Kerry.

Both Ryan and Mike have muscular dystrophy, a condition that significantly limits their mobility. As a result, they spend much of their time in electric wheelchairs. To help them manage their day-to-day needs, the brothers utilize the home health services offered by the YAI Network.

"My brother and I have been working with Paul and Kerry for so long that they are more friends than physical therapist and nurse,” Mike says of the relationship.  “It’s a feeling of comfort, working with the same people for so long. Ryan and I can tell them anything and they will always help us out.”

The services provided by a Certified Home Health Agency (CHHA) cover a variety of emergency, acute and long-term patient needs. YAI’s CHHA was created 15 years ago to provide people with developmental disabilities supportive, in-home nursing, rehabilitative therapy and paraprofessional aide services. Today, the program serves hundreds of families throughout New York City and Long Island.

The in-home services provided by YAI certified home health professionals are many, and include: nursing care of wound treatment, monitoring of blood pressure and other vital signs, administering injections and medications; on-going work with therapists to regain speech, movement and motor skills following fractures, strokes and other medical conditions; and, for individuals who utilize nursing services, aide assistance with bathing, toileting, dressing, meal preparations, cleaning, and shopping.

Another service recipient, Allyson, has hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy.  Both of these conditions affect brain functioning, and as a result, she – like Mike and Ryan – relies primarily on a wheelchair to get around.  Allyson requires assistance with a number of daily tasks, including grooming and preparing meals.  Issues with vision also restrict her ability to read certain materials.  

This is why Connie is such a vital part of her life. Connie has been Allyson’s home health aide for the past eleven years, and the two have grown as close as family.

“I believe we were destined to be together,” says Connie of her time working with Allyson.  “God works in mysterious ways, and I think we were meant to find each other.”

The YAI Network is the only Certified Home Health Agency (so designated by both the state and federal governments) in downstate New York serving people with developmental disabilities.  The nurses and therapists employed by the YAI Network’s home health care services have been trained specifically to care for people with developmental disabilities.

This special training is critical for service recipients like Rosario, who has developmental disabilities and a seizure disorder.  Living with her sister, she is fully mobile, but requires assistance performing many daily tasks, especially at mealtime.

Rosario’s sister, Nitsa, says, “I would recommend YAI Home Health Services to anybody. Having YAI Home Health Services has given me peace of mind. My sister loves [her aide, Maria] very much. At times my sister says ‘you could be my second mother.’”

YAI’s CHHA was created as a special needs agency to serve people with developmental disabilities. During its 16 years of operation, thousands of people with developmental disabilities, as well as those without who have requested YAI’s CHHA services, have benefited from its quality, caring and compassionate services (which is often covered by Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance).