Local resident struggles to find care for sister diagnosed with developmental disability
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - April is Autism Awareness Month. One woman is bringing attention to some of the hardships she’s faced for several months searching for treatment options for her sister, who suffers from dual developmental diagnoses.
Andrea Killman says her sister Megan has had autism all her life and described her as relatively high-functioning until recently.
Not long after that, her sister was also diagnosed with schizophrenia.
She says since then, she’s been trying to put the puzzle pieces together to find her care. Killman has been struggling to find long-term treatment facilities for Megan’s schizophrenia, saying facilities claim it’s because of her sister’s dual diagnosis of autism.
“I’m living right now hour by hour. The hospital could say at any moment come pick her up. Come take her home,” said Killman.
Killman says she applied for help from the State Department of Disabilities and Special Needs. According to Killman, Megan was actually approved for a home care resource but tells us the healthcare provider only offered home care for 8 hours a week.
Megan was approved for group home care through optional state supplementation but Killman says that there are no facilities designated for people with autism.
Case managers with the South Carolina Autism Society say because of dual diagnosis, health facilities typically have extra reservations for patients.
“I’m thinking back on a client I had before where they do have a dual diagnosis,” said SC Autism Society case manager Mary Dean. “Because they had autism they wouldn’t assist them. They are saying they have to get the autism under control, or don’t mention the word autism and they would assist them without it.”
Despite the challenges, Killman says she is not giving up her search.
“And at the end of the day, it’s just me and my sister. We’ve got nobody else besides my daughter,” she said. “Nobody’s been through what I’m going through as far as I know locally. And that’s one of my main goals too... to be able to help other people later on. Because nobody’s navigated.”
Killman says the state disability board has also found a psychiatric facility in Anderson that could serve as an alternative group home option, in the event they are unable to find a facility within an hour of her home in Clarendon County.
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