My brother Theron first connected with Salem when they had a school on their property in Ontario. This would have been in the late 1960s. My parents wanted Theron to benefit from the educational resources available to him and other children with Down syndrome.
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When Theron was 18, he saw that I was moving out of the house, and he also wanted his independence. My dad knew it was the right time for Theron to be “on his own” while my mom was a little more hesitant. My parents knew that eventually they would get too old to care for Theron, and if he wanted to move out now, that was a good sign. Theron initially moved onto Salem’s campus and then into several different homes in the 1990sas the state required Salem’s campus to be depopulated. Theron’s housemates were all about the same age and these guys stayed together for about 30 years until they started needing different care.

Our family felt comforted to know that he was safe and happy. He actively engaged in trips to Disneyland, skating rinks, camp and other adventures with his friends. The broader Salem community provided such a benefit to him. If necessary, we could meet his physical needs at our home; but at Salem, his social, emotional, and mental needs were met in a way that would have been very challenging in our family home. We were fairly active with Theron and his housemates since we lived locally. He visited us about once a month. When it was time to return, he was eager to ‘go home” to Salem and his housemates, “his brothers”. He wanted to go back to Palm Place home, which tells us as a family that great care was being delivered because he wanted to go back every time.

I never worried about his care. The staff Salem hires and trains are genuinely gifted as caregivers and feel called to serve. In the last year of his life, Theron needed a higher level of care and Salem initially accommodated him at another home that had licensing for higher care. It was difficult to leave his “brothers”, but it provided a needed alternative. Unfortunately, his needs outgrew Salem’s licensing capacity, so Theron finished his life at three different facilities, two of which lacked the same professional, compassionate staff and care that we experienced over our 40 years at Salem. Care outside of Salem was a nightmare; he suffered neglect, and it broke my heart. Fortunately, a week before he died, we found a loving board and care to usher him into heaven. At his funeral, Theron’s former housemates hugged and mourned with me – they knew me and were like extended family, and that was precious.

No one thought my brother would live to be 59 years old. He had a full life, and to those who knew him, he had a BIG personality. For 40 years, Salem was truly a godsend to our family. More importantly, Salem was a godsend to Theron. We are very grateful.