State shifting funds for disabled from institutions toward care within community

By Travis Fain
macon.com

MILLEDGEVILLE --There was clearly so much wrong with the young man.

The nurses at Central State Hospital said he was 16. He had a tube sticking out of his neck, and his arms were bent at unnatural angles.

And Lisa Robinson rushed to him because he reminded her of her son. They have the same name, and similar maladies ravage their bodies. Both can understand; neither one can speak.

Robinson and her friends cooed over the young man and his two roommates in a ward at Central State, complimenting them, eliciting smiles from trapped bodies. They understand what it's like when people look at you funny. Or when they don't know what to say and just withdraw. They're mothers of disabled children.

"It's automatic as a parent," said Robinson, whose own son is 17 and has cerebral palsy. "We can relate."

She and seven other mothers visited the state-run hospital a couple of weeks ago as part of a training program called Partners in Policymaking. They were learning what kind of care the government offers so they can be better patient advocates for their children or for others.

But they also were looking to answer a haunting question: What will happen to my child when I die?

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