Helping hands: ‘Lifesharing’ offers unique approach to supporting people with disabilities
“Lifesharing,” sometimes referred to as “family living,” is a unique approach to supporting people living with disabilities. However, outside of the human services industry, few people are aware that it even exists.
Lifesharing is where a family, single person, or couple opens their home and their life to someone living with an intellectual or developmental disability. Lifesharing families ensure the people they support are healthy, happy and safe, and most importantly, give them unconditional love and a family and a home to call their own. Lifesharing Families also receive a tax-exempt monthly stipend to help offset expenses they may incur while supporting someone in their home.
Tricia Reich is part of a Lifesharing Family in Centre County. She is supported by Skills of Central PA. Tricia says Lifesharing is a pretty simple concept: “It’s just living your normal life, but adding another person to love.” Tricia was the winner of the PA Lifesharing Coalition’s 2021 Lifesharing Excellence Award for the Central PA Region. She was nominated by Skills’ Lifesharing Specialist Ashley Sehn for the excellent support she provides to Joey, who lives with Tricia.
Tricia and Joey’s Lifesharing journey started when Tricia was just five years old. That’s when Tricia’s mother, Nikki, brought Joey into their home through Lifesharing. Tricia and her two sisters grew up alongside Joey, and thought of her as a sister. When Tricia’s mother passed away in 2018, Tricia quit her job at a car dealership and took over Joey’s care and support.
“Joey had been living with us for 20 plus years,” Tricia said. “She’d been a really big part of my life, our whole family’s life, for a really long time. She’s been there every birthday since I was five. We just couldn’t see her going anywhere else.”
Tricia says that a day in her and Joey’s life looks pretty similar to any family’s average day. They love going shopping together and visiting local ice cream and doughnut shops for some of Joey’s favorite treats. In the evenings, Tricia tries out new recipes to fit Joey’s dietary needs, while Joey spends time with Tricia’s nieces and nephews or snuggles with the family’s dogs and watches a movie. Tricia takes Joey to doctor appointments, makes sure she takes her medication and fills out a small amount of paperwork each day.
Best of all, Joey gets to have a stable, loving home. “She gets to be part of the family,” Tricia said, “and we get to have somebody else to love.”
Skills of Central PA is always looking for more families to join Lifesharing. There are many Pennsylvanians living with intellectual and developmental disabilities who would love to have a Lifesharing family to call their own. To learn how you can lend a helping hand by becoming a Lifesharing family, please contact Skills of Central PA’s Lifesharing Director Sarah Shaw at 814-949-4800, ext. 1824.