Enhanced Care & Residential Support
Planning with Love, Honesty, and Responsibility
For some neurodivergent individuals, living at home long-term or living independently is not safe, sustainable, or what the family and individual need. These individuals may require significant, ongoing care and supervision—and the families who love them deserve honest guidance about what that means.
This is not a failure. It is a reality that many families live with every day.
This section exists because many families already know the truth: for individuals with high support needs, safe, dignified, long-term care options are limited and often inadequate. Waitlists can stretch for years. Quality varies widely. And the cost of waiting too long to plan can be devastating.
Ignoring that reality does not make it easier. Planning for it does.
This section is designed to help families understand what options exist, how they are funded, what questions to ask, and how to plan early—whether residential care is needed now, in a few years, or may never be needed but should still be considered.
Get all of this information in a printable PDF guide you can reference anytime.
What You Will Find Here
This section covers the critical topics families face when planning for enhanced care and
residential support:
Types of Residential Care
An overview of group homes, intermediate care facilities,
supervised apartments, shared living models, and intentional communities—what they are, how they differ, and who they serve
Planning for the Future
When to start thinking about long-term care, how to have difficult conversations with family, and what it means to plan early—even when placement is not imminent
Evaluating Residential Care Providers
What to look for during facility tours, questions to ask about staffing, safety, and person-centered care, and how to review licensing and inspection records
.png)
Funding, Waitlists & Access to Care
How residential care is funded through Medicaid waivers and state systems, why waitlists can span a decade or more, and why getting on the list early is essential
Employment & Career Development
Practical pathways to meaningful work, including vocational rehabilitation, supported employment, workplace accommodations, and disclosure decisions
Higher Education & Training
Postsecondary options, vocational programs, and continuing education resources for autistic adults
Housing Options
Exploring supported housing, subsidized programs, and independent living models beyond residential care
The Foundation’s Vision
Our long-term commitment to building better care options — supporting providers, funding new facilities, and developing innovative models of care Each topic includes practical guidance, key resources, and next steps.
Where Families Are Coming From
Families arrive at this section from very different places. You do not need to read everything at once. Start where it matters most for your situation.
Families Just Beginning to Consider the Future
Understanding What Lies Ahead
For some families, enhanced care is not an immediate need—but the questions are starting to surface. What happens when we are no longer able to provide care? What does long-term support look like? Where do we even begin?
This is the right time to start learning, without pressure. Topics include:
%201.png)
Understanding the full range of residential care options
How Medicaid waivers and state funding systems work
Why getting on waitlists early matters—even if placement is years away
Having honest conversations with siblings and extended family about future roles
Creating a letter of intent and estate planning basics
This stage is about awareness and early action, not crisis response.
.png)
Families in Crisis or Urgent Need
Finding Stability When Plans Change Suddenly
Sometimes circumstances change without warning. A caregiver’s health declines. Behavioral challenges escalate. The family system that held everything together reaches a breaking point.
In these moments, families need clarity and action. Topics include:
Emergency placement options and how to access them
Contacting your state’s developmental disability agency for crisis service
Temporary respite and bridge placements while longer-term options are arranged
What to do when there is no waitlist slot and the need is immediate
This stage is about stabilization—finding safety and support while a longer-term plan takes shape.
Families Looking Toward the Long Term
Building a Future That Does Not Depend on One Person
%201.png)
Reviewing and updating care plans, legal documents, and financial structures over time
Monitoring quality of care and advocating for improvements
Supporting the individual’s employment, education, and social needs alongside residential care
Estate planning and ensuring continuity of support after the caregiver is gone
The Foundation’s long-term vision for building better options
This stage is about continuity—making sure support does not depend on one person or one moment.
For many families, enhanced care is a lifelong consideration. The individual may already be in a residential setting, or the family may be planning for the decades ahead. Either way, the work of planning never truly ends.
Topics include:
.png)
.png)
A Note to Families
If you are reading this section, you are already doing something courageous. Thinking honestly about enhanced care is one of the hardest things a family can do. It requires confronting uncertainty, letting go of expectations, and trusting that planning is an act of love, not surrender.
You are not alone in this. And you do not have to figure it out all at once.
Start where you are. Use what is here. And know that The Maher Foundation exists because families like yours deserve better options, better information, and better support.
Considering enhanced care does not mean giving up. It means planning with love, honesty, and responsibility.