William Fox Developmental Center

I volunteered at the William Fox Developmental Center in Dwight, IL on March 14th 2012. This is a state facility that’s primary focus is to serve people with mental and developmental disabilities. There are currently 115 residents that consist of adolescent, adult and older adult male and females. The residents of this facility need assistance with everyday tasks such as eating, walking, playing games, bathing and using the restroom. A team of nurses, doctors, speech pathologists, registered dietitians, diet techs, and a full staff are required in order to ensure that each resident is receiving proper care. Some of the residents have reached a state of full dependence on caretakers for almost every daily activity.
My role as a volunteer was to follow the Registered Dietitian on her rounds to ensure that the residents were receiving proper nutrition. This also gave me an opportunity to shadow a dietitian as I am currently studying dietetics and entering my dietetic internship in May. About 48 of the residents are on enteral tube feedings which means they receive their meals through tubes. The rest of the residents receive their nutrition through meals and oral supplements such as Ensure to make sure they are receiving adequate amount of nutrients. My role was to help make sure that their feedings were calculated at the appropriate amount and were programmed at the proper rate. I also learned how to determine which formula is a better choice for different residents. Some residents’ conditions require a higher amount of protein which means choosing a formula with higher protein for their feedings. I also went around visiting the residents that weren’t on tube feedings during their allotted feeding times to make sure they were eating well and that the residents that needed assistance with eating were receiving the proper assistance. If the resident wasn’t eating well or was having issues I helped to note these issues so that they could be addressed to make sure the resident was comfortable during meal times and receiving proper nutrition.
I truly enjoyed this volunteer opportunity because it gave me such a different perspective on food and nutrition. This volunteer activity also reflected many of the concepts learned in the Disadvantaged Family course such as the concept of realizing that you may be working with individuals that are at a disadvantage and you need to be aware of what every day struggles they may be facing. At this facility I realized that some people may struggle with enjoying meal times and some people don’t get to have meal times at all. This really opened my eyes to the everyday struggles that the residents of this facility face on top of their current developmental struggle. The residents of this facility are truly amazing people and this facility is vital for many people’s health and well-being. Without the William Fox Developmental Center, many of these residents would not be receiving proper care or nutrition.
Michael Ann Kelly