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I don't know of any support group sites. You could try contacting a local social worker. They may have insight into local support group chapters and maybe some free respite care for you.

My heart goes out to you
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Thank you all. Let me be clearer: I am looking for a site that deals specifically with caretakers of Down syndrome adult siblings. Downs folks are kicked out of the system (including ARC) at age 21. Everyone forgets that they grow up, often outliving their parents and sometimes their siblings (if they have any) as well.

My brother is 45 (I'm 55) with a mental age of 2 or 3 and also has physical problems and is now starting to wet and dirty his pants. I am alone. We were screwed out of our shares of inheritance by my twin brother, our only other sibling, and haven't heard from him in the 5 yrs since our mom died (she left the evil twin the house, nothing to us). I am long divorced, have no financial security (am a freelance editor), struggling to make ends meet but accruing enormous debt as well. I KNOW that the solution to the dilemma like mine (and even just for older people finding themselves alone and abandoned by nuclear and other family members, like us) is COHOUSING COMMUNITIES. I won't go into what that is right now.

As for my brother and people like him, in my 45 years in the company of the developmentally disabled, I've found them to be people like everyone else, meaning that their personal qualities and attributes have more to do with who they are as INDIVIDUAL people--even more with their Zodiac sign!--than with their disability. My brother is, for example, more forgiving than I, but he is less compassionate, far less motivated, and very egotistical, and forgets to say thank you. Perhaps to a large extent, one can blame nurture rather than nature, since both my late parents, esp. Dad, spoiled him. This did him no favors.

Anyway, I need to bond with others in my situation and talk with them about starting a cohousing community and looking for funding and the kind of advocacy that was promised by a high-profile parent of a DSer who hasn't followed through (I guess because she's rich now; problem solved).

Thanks again for responding. Bless you all!!!!!! :)
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I have a brother with a learning disability, he is 50 years old but he's about 15 mentally. I am not sure what type of support your looking for but It may be helpful to tell you I wish more people had a heart like my brother who knows not greed or selfishness.
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The ARC.

I think it was started in New Orleans back in the 1960's when it was the Assoc. for Retarded Citizens - back when "retarded" was still politically correct. They have chapters all over the US and provide day services, referrals, job activities. There is a blog too but that may be at the national headquarters site.

They are all different. Ours has "jobs": a herb garden, soup manufacturing company, corporate groundskeeping, recycling program - all "employees" are intellectually challenged adults
who go to the center daily or weekly. They seem to just love it - our son did his scout service project with the ARC.
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As a special ed. teacher, I would suggest that you look for the website that would be appropriate for a child with similar developmental issues and then email or call them for information. Your state should also have a great deal of information including support groups. ( Most have an online site, now) My father was in a health and rehab center in rural GA that has change the profile of its patients so that it is a community of people with different needs. It is very successful and is a loving, caring environment. I hope you can find what you need, but don't forget us if you need some TLC. Best wishes!
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