Living Innovations Connections
Living Innovations, a service of Mosaic, provides personalized services that empower people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and other diverse needs to live their best lives.
To achieve this level of personalized care, we collaborate with, learn from and lean on each other, using the national “One Mosaic” network for local impact.
The holiday season is a great time to reflect on what fills your heart with gratitude. At Living Innovations, we are grateful to witness joyful experiences, both big and small, each day.
We hope you take some time to read these stories of gratitude from the people we serve, their families and our workforce, who are grateful for every service, every opportunity and every shared experience.
Grateful for the Music
Teresa Hoffman, Communications Specialist
When the radio is on and tuned to rock music, Tina Witmuss is in her “happy place.”
“If you put on something other than rock, she’s not much of a fan,” said Shawnee McKay, Tina’s Direct Support Specialist and “buddy” at Mosaic in Axtell, Nebraska. “But, when we put the radio on a rock station, she is enjoying herself and you can see it on her face.”
Because Tina doesn’t use words to communicate, Shawnee and Amanda Luna, Direct Support Supervisor, rely on body language clues as a way of determining her wants and needs and to meet her Personal Outcome Measures® (POM).
Developed by The Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL), an organization focused on improving the quality of life for people with intellectual, developmental, and psychiatric disabilities, the POM is a tool Mosaic adopted to understand what’s important to the people we support.
When a person joins Mosaic, staff or Home Providers work to understand their unique dreams, goals and priorities through conversations and questions outlined in the POM framework. They use what they learn to build their individual services plan and track progress toward achieving what matters most to them and for them.
Input for Tina’s plan came from her guardian, Renee Leschinsky, and Tina’s own body language, expressions or other reactions.
From the start, Renee said rock music has always been calming for Tina.
“If you make her listen to piano music, she’s going to holler and pull at her shirt if she doesn’t like it,” Renee said. “But one of her rock CDs is calming for her if she’s having a bad day.”
As they got to know her, Amanda and Shawnee knew taking Tina to see a rock concert would be a meaningful experience for her and made that a goal in her individual services plan.
They looked online to see when the next rock concert was.
The winner—Alice Cooper in Omaha.
“Her preferred artist wasn’t in the area, but Alice Cooper is in the same genre and the rock station here plays his music all the time,” Amanda said.
Renee was all-in when she heard the idea.
“I was really excited because it has been a goal for her for a long time,” Renee said.
Amanda and Shawnee prepared Tina for the trip by picking out clothes, which included making her a vest adorned with Alice Cooper patches.
Tina, Amanda and Shawnee made the four-hour trip to Omaha on August 27. It was Tina's longest trip and her first time sleeping away from home in a hotel. As they traveled along the interstate, her expressions were joyful.
“The entire car ride there, Tina was taking it all in,” she said.
The same was true for the concert, which Amanda described as a theatrical experience, involving music and lights that provided Tina with visual engagement and a multi-sensory connection to the music, aligning with her preferences.
“Tina remained calm and collected throughout the performance, absorbing the atmosphere and show with evident captivation,” Amanda said, noting it was the calmest she’s ever seen Tina. “We were positioned in the front row and she appeared particularly appreciative of the sensory input from the speakers.”
At one point, Amanda and Shawnee observed a moment of profound gratitude in Tina’s expression that reinforced the significance of the experience.
“She got to live her best life that day,” Shawnee said.
Amanda and Shawnee expressed their own gratitude for the experience and being able to witness Tina’s enjoyment, which underscores the impact of Mosaic’s focus on personalized services and how the organization enriches lives.
Shawnee said she has gone to events in her community nearby, but none 200 miles away.
“Having the trust of Mosaic staff to let us attend an event across the state with Tina meant a lot,” she said. “It shows that we are capable of doing these things for the people we support. Not only did it impact Tina, but us as well.”
Amanda agreed.
“Tina was able to go do something she’s never done before and be integrated into the community,” she said. “It meant a lot to me to be a part of it.”
Amanda has known Tina since 2017 and Renee since 2007. She recently returned to Mosaic after a seven-year absence.
“It hit home for me,” she said. “When I left and came back, I knew this was home. Working with individuals with IDD is the most rewarding feeling in the world. I know this is the place I want to be.”
Amanda and Shawnee will help Tina keep the memory of that night alive with the gift of a shadowbox that will hold her ticket, the vest and photos.
Renee said she continues to see signs that Tina remembers the experience.
“We just had a meeting and when they talked about the concert, she had a smile on her face. Then, when they started talking about doctor’s appointments and other things, she put both of her hands up over her ears,” Renee said. “When someone mentioned seeing if they could find another concert, she had a big smile on her face. You don’t see that very often from Tina.”
Patience and Compassion Led to Personal Change
Randall Donner, Senior Communications Professional
Faithfulness is one of Mosaic’s four values. Part of the definition of that value states: “Faithfulness is about having faith in one another, having faith in the people we support and being an organization people can count on.”
In other words, Mosaic does not give up on someone.
That commitment came to life for Hollie Hoover, who is served by Mosaic in Delaware. Her family and other providers in that state had given up on Hollie, and she was in a psychiatric center when Mosaic became aware of her story.
“When we heard Hollie’s story, we didn’t see a problem; we saw a person,” said Shavonne Brathwaite, Delaware State Operations Director.
Staff who worked with her at other places implied Hollie would be a problem for Mosaic, and they had treated her as such. When Mosaic staff went to pick up Hollie’s clothes and personal items, the manager and nurse said, “Good luck.”
“When Hollie came, it was difficult because she didn’t trust anybody,” said Nalini Bhagwandin, manager at the house Hollie moved into. “We listened to her stories about previous group homes and the things she said they were doing to her, like pulling her hair, poking her in the face, and calling her names. She even had incidents of running away.”
The staff in the home made it clear that they were committed to Hollie, and she wasn’t going to scare them away—even though she tried.
“When Hollie first came in, she called the police and told them we were abusing her, calling her names, and doing all these things—the things from her past,” Nalini said. “They came and looked at her and realized nothing happened.”
She even called for an ambulance quite frequently—to the point where they knew to call Mosaic staff to learn if there was anything actually wrong.
“We were committed to walking with her, not away from her,” Shavonne said. “Nalini made Hollie a promise from day one: ‘Hollie, we are a family here. We love and respect each other no matter what. It doesn’t matter what you do, I’m still going to love you.’ Slowly, with consistency, understanding, and a whole lot of heart, Hollie began to change.”
From the beginning, the staff showed patience with Hollie. They taught her how to take better care of herself, clean her room, do her laundry and put her clothes away. They also helped her learn how to budget and watch her spending.
“We treated her like she is supposed to be treated,” Nalini said. “She started to trust and then started talking with us.’
Hollie has quite a list of activities she likes to be involved in. She loves to read romance novels and to visit the library. She plays basketball, enjoys going to the local high school football games, and is active in her church. She enjoys crocheting and has made blankets, key chains and bracelets, among other things.
“Hollie will basically do anything,” Nalini said. “It’s never a problem to get her involved in something.”
Although the Mosaic staff tried to connect her with her family, that did not work out. Her siblings told her to quit calling. She does speak, though, with her 85-year-old grandmother.
Meeting Hollie, it’s very clear she cares about those around her—both her roommates and the Mosaic staff.
“If someone’s having a rough day, Hollie’s the first to notice,” Shavonne said. “She’ll offer a warm smile and a cup of tea, quietly reminding you that you’re not alone.”
She does have a favorite staff member, Gaisha Johnson, who works in the home in the morning. Gaisha has had the biggest influence on Hollie, and they have a good, trusting relationship, Nalini said.
Nalini said the changes Hollie has made in her life are unbelievable to people who have worked with her in other ways.
“Her state coordinator asked about Holly, and said, ‘She hasn’t been hospitalized?’ She called back and said she’d like to come visit,” Nalini said. “She came and sat with Hollie, and they talked. Before she left, she said, ‘I can’t believe that the same Hollie I knew years ago. She would not have been sitting there.’”
The secret to Hollie’s change is really not a secret.
“In this field, you have to have patience,” Nalini said.“If we don’t have patience, then we don’t belong here. It’s a hard job, but you have to have compassion to do what we do. The individual only reacts to how you approach them.”
Hollie has reacted to love and developed trust with the staff, who Nalini admitted do tease Hollie now.
“I’m good,” Hollie said, then added with a smile, “the staff always pick on me.”
“Sometimes we joke about her running away like she did in previous homes,” Nalini said “She said she doesn’t want to go anywhere! She loves her home, her friends, and her staff.”
A Life-Changing Blessing: Deanna Thankful for Role as a Home Provider
Teresa Hoffman, Communications Specialist
Deanna Bartles spent many hours praying for guidance as she contemplated taking on a new job with Mosaic.
After 13 years with the organization in receptionist, human resources, in-home caregiver and job coach roles—Deanna was asked if she wanted to become a Home Provider. Mosaic in Southwest Kansas staff were confident in her abilities, as were Rick and Joyce Dearden, who specifically asked for Deanna when they were considering moving their loved one, Brenda, from a group home to a Mosaic at Home shared living setting.
But, Deanna was hesitant to commit and her decision wouldn’t come for another year.
Deanna discovered “her calling” as a caregiver when she was hired to provide care for a former employee of Mosaic. During that time she learned about Mosaic’s mission and became acquainted with the rest of the staff. Impressed with their dedication, she applied for and was later hired as a receptionist. She would move on to other positions, before finding her way back to caregiving in a group-home setting.
“Working with people in the group homes is where I felt most needed,” Deanna said. “Even while I was a job coach, I would pick up shifts when we were shorthanded.”
It was during one of those shifts that Deanna met Brenda, whom she describes as a sweet lady who enjoyed keeping busy by bowling with Special Olympics, working at the day center, and going on WWE wrestling trips. Deanna accompanied Brenda on several of the trips.
“I will never forget on the first wrestling trip getting woken up by Brenda sitting on the side of my bed asking me, ‘you awake?’, and I was like, ‘girl it’s 4 a.m.,’” she said.
Those little moments helped form not only their friendship, but also one with Rick and Joyce, Brenda’s brother and sister-in-law.
When given the opportunity to become Brenda’s Home Provider, Deanna took her time making the decision, seeking support from her adult son, Dakota, and praying for clarity. She understood the gravity of the commitment.
“I wasn’t sure I was ready at the time to take on this 24/7 role,” Deanna said.
As days passed, Brenda began needing more help due to declining health brought on by dementia. Eventually, Deanna knew she needed to do it, not just for Brenda, but for herself.
It was a life-changing decision and, a year later, one she’s thankful to have made.
“Having somebody to take care of makes you feel whole and needed in life,” Deanna said. “I like that part of it.”
Shortly after becoming a Home Provider and welcoming Brenda into her home, Deanna was asked if she could care for another individual, Lilly, who was in between matches. Lilly soon moved in for what was supposed to be a two-week stay.
“Well the two weeks turned into two months and I decided Lilly was such a good fit that she should stay with me and Brenda permanently,” Deanna said.
The trio has become their own little family. Their house is full of love and Deanna’s son has noticed a positive difference in her.
“My son thinks I’m a lot happier having them here,” she said. “He was all for it, and I 100% did the right thing.”
In previous roles, Deanna worked all hours of the day. Now, as a Home Provider, she sets her own schedule and has a regular routine, which includes working at the local school district during the day. She’s also been able to do activities she hadn’t before, like attending church services.
But, most of all, she’s thankful for the opportunity to be part of Brenda and Lilly’s lives.
While she had hoped to carry on their traditions of traveling and enjoying activities together, Deanna said Brenda’s declining health changed those plans. But that hasn’t stopped her from giving Brenda the best life she can. These days, Deanna, Brenda and Lilly find joy in the small things—car rides, shopping trips, dinners out and walks.
“When we go out and have dinner, we will just talk and giggle about nothing,” she said. “Seeing them smile is the best.”
Joyce said Deanna has been the best thing for the family.
“I don’t know what we’d do without her,” she said. “We are so thankful. She is wonderful with Brenda, so patient and kind.”
Joyce added that she and Rick are thankful to have Brenda part of the Mosaic at Home® program.
“What a blessing it has been,” Joyce said. “It has made the transition so smooth for Brenda and us. “That is her home now. I don’t know that she would want to go anywhere else.”
Looking back, Deanna understands why she needed time before making the commitment to become a Home Provider, but a year-and-a-half later, she wouldn’t change the adventure she’s on for the world.
“I hope I can continue to bring happiness to these ladies, like they have to me,” she said.