In his free time, Aaron loves to watch football and basketball. He’s a Chicago fan at heart, rooting 
for the Bears and Bulls during their respective seasons of play. When he’s not watching sports, he’s working; and after work, Aaron likes to relax because sometimes work just makes him tired.
That sounds typical for many adults. So does Aaron’s love of action and adventure video games, movies and TV. He enjoys going to the movie theater; he loves seafood and BBQ; and he recently had a great time on a trip to King’s Pointe with his peers and friends.
Aaron has a pretty relatable goal too – the desire to be completely independent. How Aaron will work to achieve it – this personal journey to independence – will likely take a different path than the typical person reading this story.
Aaron is a consumer at Crossroads of Western Iowa and lives in one of the residential living facilities. On a typical day, Aaron is up by 7 a.m. He takes his medications – a responsibility he manages on his own. This is already one important step to independence. Then, he loves his cup of coffee in the morning. At 12:15 in the afternoon, Aaron goes to work at Goodwill. Around 4 p.m., Aaron rides the bus home – taking yet another step toward independence. He also completes chores around the house, like laundry or assisting in meal preparation.
While holding a job at Goodwill of the Great Plains, Aaron is responsible for cleaning the store, clearing the top shelves and bagging 10 lbs. of shirts that people buy for cleaning rags. If you ask Aaron, he says he keeps the store looking nice. Maintaining employment and feeling a sense of responsibility to do a good job is another step on the journey to independence.
Ultimately, Aaron would like to live on his own, in his own apartment. While he continues building his confidence and daily living skills – like keeping his checkbook balanced, which he’s currently working on – he really does like his neighborhood. He feels comfortable and safe and enjoys living at a Crossroads housing unit because it has given him a new life and a good life.
Crossroads of Western Iowa helps individuals like Aaron work toward their specific goals, providing assistance at the level each person needs and moving at a pace that works for the individual. Aaron is already achieving huge parts of his goal by maintaining a high level of independence for many of the activities he does in a day.
Crossroads is there to help build the roadmap to achieve goals, aid in questions or struggles a person may face, and help move to the next step as milestones are achieved. Aaron relies on staff to take him to appointments and to assist where he currently needs it. Crossroads also provides support and guidance when family members or guardians are not able. Aaron has experienced challenges in trying to maintain contact with his family and he’s learning how to navigate those challenges – just one more step in his journey to independence.
If you’d like to discuss the journey to independence for a loved one, please contact Jamie, the Residential Program Director. You may also contact Jamie for questions about available spots for our new homes that opened this fall.
