Searching for a Safe Haven Part 1

CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. (WTHI) - It’s safe to say we all want the very best for the people we love.  Sometimes, however, we cannot care for an elderly parent or a special child and still manage a full-time job and family.

That’s why nursing homes, or group homes, are a helpful option for some, but the search for a safe haven can be exhausting and disappointing at times.

Home videos illuminate the day-to-day life of Nicholas: a happy, content 25-year-old.  Nick is autistic, and cannot either speak or hear; however, this Clinton, IN man is attentive, loving and always willing to help.

He lives in a group home in Crawfordsville, IN, where he is well taken care of, and has a lot of friends.  He has everything he needs to remain content except one person: his father.

Nick lives miles away from his father, Greg

Once Nick graduated high school, Greg was left with the challenge of finding good care for his son during the work day.

Greg’s searches led him to a good home nearby; however, the results weren’t what he expected, and left him frustrated and exhausted.

When Greg’s local searches ended in vain, he scoured the internet, where he researched and visited group and nursing homes all the way from north of Indianapolis, to areas of southern Indiana, and from Illinois border to the Ohio border.

He looked into as many as 45 homes and had a tough time coming up with redeeming qualities, stating that the facilities and the patrons were unkempt in some facilities. 

During one of the visits, he found out that one of the patrons is wanted for murder and had a warrant for arrest out.  During another visit, a patron passed out due to being under the influence of drugs.

Greg wouldn’t release the names of the facilities he had these horrific experiences with, but he did say in his tireless search, he found only three in Indiana he would place his son in: a facility in Lebanon, in Crawfordsville and in Washington.

He said that anyone looking to provide good care for loved ones can learn from his trials:

1. Do your homework;
2. Research facilities and visit them often;
3. Talk to the staff, get their names;
4. Get to a computer and do a quick background check on the staff;

Greg continually researches people and places for the most important job ever: taking care of his child.  A hard-fought job that, in his case, paid off.