Texas couple provides home for women with mental retardation
A Texas couple, Mike and Connie
Fulbright, provide a home for women with mental retardation in Lubbock, Texas.
The home is in conjunction with the ICF/MRProgram (Intermediate Care Facilities for Persons with Mental Retardation). The
home houses women ages 22 to 62 years old, all of who are half-functioning.
Connie’s mother, Agnes Dent, started the home 24 years ago, and Connie took
over the operation with her husband, Mike. The Fulbright’s currently have six
women living in their ICF home, with two women in each room.
Life away from ICF home
The Fulbright’s take the women to
movies, Sunday church services, out to eat, shopping and to the library. The
couple also takes the women to their training program meetings and doctor
appointments. The women in the home are required to work every day; these jobs
are small tasks, such as placing things in boxes and making crafts.
Free Time
While at home, the women are to tend to certain chores assigned to them.
“They are always willing to help out
with chores, such as unloading the dishwasher or throwing away trash, but they
have to be told to do it,” said Connie Fulbright. “The ladies usually don’t
remember to take care of their chores, so someone has to initiate it.”
The women also have plenty of free time at home
after work every day. In their free time, the women play card and domino games
and work on word searches. Some of the women are capable of reading at a
fifth-grade reading level and can write in cursive.
The women in the ICF home are not only taken
care of by the Fulbright’s. The Fulbright’s have a staff that works around the
house from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. every day. The staff takes care of laundry, meals
and other tasks asked of them.
One thing the women really enjoy is attending
church services every Sunday morning.
Donna Coke, who helps with the women’s Bible
classes, sends the women cards and other small gifts of encouragement and talks to them about their
lives away from the ICF home.
“The ladies always come into class with smiles
on their faces. They like to hug each of the teachers and volunteers every
morning,” said Coke. “I love working with them so much. They each have sweet,
kind hearts, and I want to help them feel like they are loved and have a purpose.”
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| Decorative frog made by Donna Coke |
Going home
The women in the ICF home are not all from the
Lubbock area; some have family and friends that live hours away. During the
weekends, the women are free to go home and visit their families. At least one
woman goes home every weekend, but some never do. A few of the women either do
not have family they wish to see, or their family does not wish to see them.
Although the job requires much patience and hard
work, the Fulbright’s, their staff and volunteers are always happy about their
decision to help the women in the ICF home.
“It has been challenging at times,”
said Mike Fulbright. “But it is definitely worth it.”
