INTRODUCING THE TOOLKIT

One of the great benefits of the Toolkit is that this technology can break the “Cycle of Lost Tools” and create greater stability for the people who receive DDA services.

Losing important support tools that the client needs, is a chronic issue for MANY in the disability community. Lost Tools are a major root cause for a high percentage of challenges that DDA clients face and can trigger many disruptions and dangers including: 

• Frustration
• Trauma
• Depression
• Undesirable Behaviors

If left unchecked, lost tools can trigger greater escalations that can lead to:

• Crisis Hospitalizations
• Homelessness
• And even Loss of Life.

Preventing the Loss of the Support Tools is one of BBLT’s highest goals, and one of the greatest direct benefits that the Toolkit can provide for individuals in the IDD community.

It's important to understand how the “Cycle of Lost Tools” hurts clients, because it helps us see how the Toolkit prevents it and why it is so greatly needed.  

Tools Working

• In this first stage, the best techniques (therapeutic tools) have been discovered and are being used to support the client daily.
• Care providers use the tools in the same way—the client is having success— and things are working well.

Transition

• In this stage something significant changes in the client’s life
  • This could be a number of things, such as: 
    • Experienced Care Providers (who know the tools) leave and new care providers, who don’t know the tools, take their place. 
    • Perhaps the client moves to a new home or living situation.
    • Maybe there is a new diagnosis or health need.

Tools Lost

• With the change, and without effective training being passed to the new providers, important support tools are lost.
• The client feels the disruption and discomfort begins to build and escalate.

Crisis/Disruption

In this stage, the disruption builds to a tipping point.

• Undesirable behaviors may occur.
• The individual’s suffering increases.
• Crisis behaviors or situations erupt.
• Life-threatening situations might occur, causing traumatic disruptions and danger.  

Care Providers might be overwhelmed in the crisis and quit.

Intervention

• Expensive Resources are activated to try to calm the individual or end the crisis. 
  • This might include 
    • Behavior support, 
    • Out of home respite, 
    • Stabilization, 
    • Hospitalization or out of home placement.
• Tools to prevent another crisis are developed.

Tools are Recovered—Tools are Lost

• Ground is lost for the client.
• Momentum starts building again as new care providers are trained.
• And things improve
• But some tools are never recovered.

And at this point, the “Cycle of Lost Tools” starts all over again.

It cannot be overstated, that this Cycle of Lost Tools, is a Root Issue that triggers trauma and disruption for many in the IDD community.

• Left unchecked, this cycle perpetuates and the client’s world gets smaller and more difficult. 
• But with Build a Better Life Toolkit’s digital training features, these vital support tools can be duplicated and passed from team to team, without losing the tools.

The vision of Build a Better Life Toolkit isn’t just to fix one crisis, but it is to break the patterns that perpetuate crisis after crisis because of lost tools. 

Our dream is to create something that could be passed on from team to team throughout a client’s lifetime.  The Toolkit is flexible and adaptable for every season of life. 

• Throughout the years the Toolkit can be edited and updated 
• Archive tools that we’re not using today can be stored 
  • so that if they’re needed in the future, 
  • they’re accessible and usable in the field. 

Our desire is to make the Cycle of Lost Tools a thing of the past and build a LEGACY RESOURCE that can stay with the client for a lifetime.  

• That’s a much bigger vision than just to solve one crisis, it’s to Build a Better Life for a lifetime.  
  • This is one of the greatest benefits of Build a Better Life Toolkit.