‘Welcome to Back-to-School Night’

Posted on October 15, 2012 by dlevine

Matthew Detgen, greeting his parents, Marie and Don Detgen, at Back-to-School Night.

Many of Matheny’s students and patients are non-verbal. To help them communicate, teachers and therapists provide them with state-of-the-art assistive technology, including a variety of augmentative and alternative communications systems. Thanks to a recent donation by The Friends of Matheny, the Matheny School has a brand new supply of augmentative communication switches, which can be used by students to express themselves.

One of the recent beneficiaries of this gift was Matthew Detgen, a non-verbal student who was able to work as a greeter at the Matheny School’s Back-to-School Night. Stationed in the main lobby, Detgen activated switches that said: “Welcome to Back-to-School Night” and “I’m Glad You Could Make It.”

As part of a collaborative team, speech-language pathologists and teachers work together to complete assessments of speech and language and develop and implement programs to meet each student’s individual needs.

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Dr. Balysky receives Taft Award

Posted on October 12, 2012 by dlevine

Gary E. Eddey, MD, Matheny vice president and chief medical officer, left, congratulates Dr. Balysky.

Andrew Balysky, OD, has received the Lawrence T. Taft Award, given to Matheny medical staff members who have demonstrated a long-term commitment to serving its patient population. Dr. Balysky, whose private practice is in Chester, NJ, is a consultant in optometry at Matheny.

The late Dr. Lawrence Taft was a member of the Matheny medical staff for 13 years. He helped establish the field of neurodevelopmental pediatrics and, as the first chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at RWJU Medical School, was a founder of the Institute for the Study of Child Development. He was a recipient of the University Excellence Award “for demonstrating a high level of achievement and recognition by his peers for patient care.”

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Oktoberfest benefits Matheny

Posted on October 11, 2012 by dlevine

Fred and Isabelle Frisco of Hillsborough with Matheny student Shane Szott.

“My daughter doesn’t walk, and she doesn’t talk. But during her first year at Matheny, the recreation department told me they wanted to take her camping. I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding!’ They always think outside the box.”

Liz Geraghty, president of The Friends of Matheny, was describing her daughter Bozena’s experience at Matheny to a crowd of more than 100 people attending Oktoberfest, a casual evening of celebration by The Friends to benefit Matheny students and patients. The Friends of Matheny is an auxiliary group that has raised more than $3 million for Matheny since 1983.

Guests at the event, held at Vliettown Farm in Oldwick, NJ, enjoyed German food and music and made extra contributions to Matheny by buying raffle tickets, bidding in the silent auction and purchasing special Community Connections packages that help fund activities for Matheny’s students and patients in the community such as the camping, which Geraghty mentioned, attending concerts and plays, and dining out at area restaurants.

From left, Donna and NJ Devil Hall of Famer Scott Stevens of Bedminster; and Tom and Maria Carwithen of Madison.

 

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Our Fulbright candidate

Posted on October 10, 2012 by dlevine

Dr. Kenneth Robey.

The director of our Research Institute in Developmental Disabilities, Dr. Kenneth Robey, has been selected to an elite group of scholars in the Fulbright Specialists Roster, a national program, which places leaders from higher education and industry in global collaborations that strengthen the positions of U.S. institutions.

As a candidate, Dr. Robey is eligible to be considered for two-to-six-week grant opportunities through the Specialists program. For up to five years, he will remain a candidate until he is matched with a request from an overseas host institution.

The Matheny Research Institute has as its singular mission the research and dissemination of findings that might enhance the lives of those with severe disabilities, their families and the professionals who work with them. By conducting research and disseminating findings, the Institute strives to support and contribute to the knowledge base and repertoire of the field of disability treatment and habilitation.

Over the past couple of years, Dr. Robey has been working with a national consortium of health care faculty members who share his interest in the “disability identity” and in medical professionals’ attitudes that might impact on services or care provided to persons with disabilities. The consortium was formalized as the Alliance for Disability in Health Care Education.  Dr. Robey is a member of the board of directors and is a past president.

In addition to his role at Matheny, Dr. Robey is on the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Medicine and Dentistry – New Jersey Medical School and has taught undergraduate courses on an adjunct basis at Rutgers University, Centenary College and Montclair State University. He has a Ph.D. in social psychology from Rutgers University.

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Congratulations to our DSPs

Posted on October 8, 2012 by dlevine

Chris King, vice president, operations, far left, congratulates some of the DSPs recognized on September 11 in New Brunswick. Front row, from left, Bridget Cottle, Brenda Hoagland, Zinash Melaku and Tinashe Maphosa; back row, from left, King, Andrea Singleton, Jana Ricketts, Weyatta Golafly, Simone Morgan and Nadine Thompson.

National Direct Support Professional Recognition Week was celebrated from September 9-15 to acknowledge the important work of DSPs, who provide quality life-enhancing supports and services to individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

In New Jersey, 13 Matheny personal care assistants received special recognition on September 11 at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick for DSP professional training they have received from The College of Direct Support at the Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities. In addition, Matheny PCA trainer Brenda Hoagland was honored as New Jersey’s first credentialed DSP. About 60 of Matheny’s employees have either completed or are enrolled in The College of Direct Support, more than any other facility in the state.

Safy Diedhou, one of Matheny’s PCAs enrolled in the program, says DSP training prepared her to handle difficult situations. “Without DSP training,” she points out, “there were tools I was missing. I didn’t know how to deal with emotions. I wasn’t comfortable dealing with certain challenges. When a patient was difficult, I didn’t know what was appropriate to make them comfortable. Now, anything that comes my way, I’m ready for it.”

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Giving back to the community

Posted on October 5, 2012 by dlevine

From left, Yasin Reddick, Anthony Winchatz, Matheny student James Wild, Marlo Bodinizzo and Matheny students Catherine Aragona and Raven Bennett.

The Resource Center of Somerset County, created to fight back against the negative effects of domestic violence, provides a safe house for domestic violence victims. But the victims, while living in emergency shelters, often lack some of the basic items needed for everyday living.

With that in mind, the students in Peggy Zappulla’s class at the Matheny School decided to collect items, such as toiletries, school supplies and clothes, from Matheny staff members. On September 12, they presented several boxes of items collected (or purchased at Wal-Mart with cash contributions) to Lt. Anthony J. Winchatz, Resource Center director of marketing and public relations, and Marlo Bodinizzo, development assistant and donations coordinator.

“We can ask corporations to write a check,” said Winchatz, “but when the gifts come from people in our community, they are extra special. Donations such as yours are so much more important to our program because they are sincere and come from the heart.” One student, Yasin Reddick, expressed the feelings of the entire class when he told Winchatz, “We just wanted to give back.”

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Good knights

Posted on October 3, 2012 by dlevine

From left: Fred Dziurzinski of Far Hills, Chris Ryan, Ray Goger of Far Hills and Matheny president Steve Proctor.

Matheny adult patient Chris Ryan was inducted into the Knights of Columbus of the St. Elizabeth Far Hills and St. Brigid Peapack parish community chapter last year. So it was only natural that he would be on hand to greet representatives of the Knights when they visited Matheny recently to make their annual contribution, which this year totaled $2,000.

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Ushering in the New Year

Posted on October 1, 2012 by dlevine

Rabbi Jaffe and adult patient Teddy Dobrich.

It has become a tradition every fall for Rabbi Evan Jaffe of the Flemington, NJ, Jewish Community Center to visit with Jewish students and patients at Matheny a few days before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to conduct pre-holiday services. This year was no exception as the energetic rabbi explained the meaning of the Jewish New Year and led his guest congregants in song and prayer.

An added attraction was his coaching of music therapist Alissa West, who did an admirable job of blowing the shofar, the ram’s horn that is an integral part of the High Holy Day services.

The FJCC is a conservative synagogue providing the Jewish community of Hunterdon County with religious, educational and social programs.

Alissa West blowing the shofar.

 

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Weather rapport

Posted on September 28, 2012 by dlevine

Adult patient Lyndsay Sims and her father Ken.

Family Day at Matheny is an annual outdoor celebration that enables parents and other relatives of students and patients to not only visit with their children but to mingle with other families in an informal, unstructured atmosphere.

There is plenty of food, an opportunity to swim in the outdoor pool and a chance to visit with Matheny staff members as well.

This year the weather on Sunday, September 9 – in the 70s with very little humidity – made it close to a perfect day.

From left, Jack Conrad; his sister Savannah, a Matheny student; and father Kurtis Conrad

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‘Life is Beautiful’

Posted on September 27, 2012 by dlevine

“Japanese Beauty”

Hsiao-lin “Pearl” Chiang, RN, is a nurse at Matheny and a professional artist. From October 1-31, her paintings will be on display at the Bridgewater, NJ, Public Library. The exhibit, “Life Is Beautiful,” contains 30 paintings, but since the space available will only hold 10, Chiang will be changing the paintings twice during the month.

Chiang moved to the United States from her native Taiwan in 1990. She has enjoyed painting since she was a child, and, while it was originally mostly an escape for her, it has turned into much more than that. Last fall, she had a 38-painting exhibit at the Art Yards Café in Taipei. For the past eight years, she has been teaching art to students, and recently she recruited a group of high school students to help her finish a mural, “Paradise,” in the Matheny children’s dining room. She also has her own website, www.pearlchiangarts.com.

“Chinese Beauty”

“I love to paint,” she says, “and I want to meet others who also love to paint or who might enjoy my colorful and happy paintings.” The Bridgewater Public Library is located at 1 Vogt Drive. Hours are Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. For more information, call (908) 526-4016.

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