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What YOU might need

Where do you begin?

You need a good plan.

You need a good plan for all areas of your life that the nursing home presently takes care of. With choice comes responsibility.

This responsibility may seem overwhelming. However, you do not have to do it alone. Remember - there are eight Centers for Independent Living located throughout Minnesota, and they are there to help you.

If you have any questions or concerns - even if you need help finding the correct Center for Independent Living that serves your area - do not hesitate to ask for help. Call the number listed below:

(800) 390.3681
(218) 262.6675 V/TTY

Checklist of what YOU might need

You do not have to do it alone. You also do not need to do it all at once.

Start with a checklist of what you might need and what you might need to do:

  1. Assessment
    - This begins with a face-to-face meeting with a social worker or nurse from your county who will explain what community-based options are available.
  2. Relocation Service Coordination
    - Relocation Service Coordination is a service for people currently residing in institutions. Relocation Service Coordination will help you plan and arrange for services and supports you will need in the community.
  3. Finances
    - What is your current source of income? Your relocation service coordinator or other members of your team you choose will help you look at your finances. Together you need to set up a budget for independent community living.
  4. Medical insurance
    - You will need health insurance when you move into the community. You will need to explore available sources of insurance.
  5. Housing options
    - You will need to make decisions about housing yourself. No one can tell you where you should live or who you should live with.
  6. Home care/support services
    - You may need to explore the wide range of home care services are available in Minnesota allowing people with disabilities in need of ongoing support to live independently in the community.
  7. Transportation
    - Affordable transportation must be a major consideration when you choose a community and a home. Don’t assume that all public transportation is accessible.
  8. Developing a personal budget
    - During the financial planning process you figured out how much money you will have to meet your expenses. Now you need to create a real budget since living within your income is vital to maintain independent living.
  9. Preparing for the move
    - It is important to prepare in advance for your move and to have a detailed game plan.

A Downloadable Tool to Complete Your Checklist

The Minnesota Association of Centers for Independent Living, (MACIL), has prepared a guidebook under a contract with the Minnesota Department of Human Services as a valuable resource for those who wish to relocate.

This guidebook, "Take the Road to Independence", contains the basic checklist shown above, the important details regarding each item on the checklist, and links to other valuable resources. Please use the link below to access and download this guidebook. It organizes all the tasks you need to accomplish into a manageable, step-by-step format. It will be invaluable during this process of transitioning to your own home and into the community:

Take the Road to Independence
A Consumer Guide for Planning Your Move from a Nursing Home

IMPORTANT Note Concerning Guidebook!

Since the publication of the guidebook, "Take the Road to Independence", many of the web-addresses of the "Internet Resources" section of the guidebook have changed. You will find a list of the correct web-addresses for those links below: