Caring for those with Special Needs

In this extended interview with Janet Royko, she describes her personal choice to be at Sun Lodge Farms and how her son David, who has special needs, will benefit from living here.

There is a growing concern in society about the long-term care of our most vulnerable. Aging parents and families with adult children who require varying levels of support are beginning to seek out better alternative environments and communities. They know there will come a point when they can no longer care for their loved one. They seek a place where their child or sibling will be happy, safe, and live with purpose.

Everybody needs to feel productive, and those who have mental, physical or learning challenges should have every opportunity to experience their own sense of fulfillment.

In the past, families had complicated choices to make regarding daily care. They faced options such as placing their loved ones in group homes with nothing substantial to motivate or engage them.  There are now many community living farms around the world for people with special needs, and all have proven to help them thrive and be happy.

The intention of Sun Lodge Farms is to construct a cluster of lodging units for this community that will accommodate individuals as well as couples. A hybrid of insulated concrete forms, conventional framing, and metal container structures will be utilized. These units will be architecturally controlled and designed. They will be spacious and beautiful, and will always be built with the qualifier - "would I live here?"

A growing trend worldwide, these metal containers are abundant and offer low-cost construction. In addition, once the concrete foundation is in place the speed of construction is very quick. Metal container-designed homes also offer superior support, stability, and weather/fireproofing. We plan to adopt a clean visual theme on the farm for all of our buildings using acrylic stucco and cement-based siding boards, while using a palette to fit seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.