Social Recreation services are not only about socialization, but also help you live the life you want in your community. They include activities that can help you identify or learn more about specific interests or skills, and support you to spend time with others around shared interests or goals. Social Recreation can also help you make friends who have the same interests as you. Here are just a few common examples: 

• Classes at your local parks and recreation department
• Art classes and activities
• Music classes and activities
• Leisure activities
• Social groups
• And many more

Camps are similar to traditional day and overnight camps. They offer many different types of activities including nature, sports, arts and crafts, theater, and other fun things to do.

Camps are a one-time service that require funding approval every time you attend. It is important to know that many camps are designed for people with I/DD and may not offer community inclusion. 

Everyone needs a break sometimes, including your family and caregivers. Respite gives your caregivers:

• A short break from taking care of you
• Time to rest and take care of themselves
• Time to run errands or go to appointments

Respite can happen at home or at certain licensed programs.

In-Home Respite

In-home respite is short-term support provided by someone outside of your family that happens in your home. It can be scheduled or used occasionally. Respite workers help your family by:

• Helping you stay safely at home
• Watching you when your family can’t be there
• Giving your family a break from constant caregiving
• Helping you with basic needs that your family normally helps with

There are 3 types of in-home respite:

• Agency Respite
• Employer of Record (EOR) Respite
• Fiscal Management Service (FMS) Respite

Your social worker can help you determine the best type of in-home respite for you.

Out-of-Home Respite

These services are provided outside your home so that your caregiver gets a break. Out-of-home respite allows you to stay in a licensed residential home for a certain number of days each year.

Personal Assistance services provide a one-on-one support worker to help you complete everyday tasks like bathing, dressing, and meal preparation. This service focuses on providing direct help or supervision to ensure you can live safely and independently in your family home or community. Personal Assistance is typically used when “natural supports” (like family) or other programs like IHSS are not enough to meet all of your daily needs. 

Regional centers can provide some specialized therapies that can help promote your health and well-being. These may include:  

• Counseling  

• Occupational Therapy  

• Physical Therapy  

• Respiratory Therapy  

• Speech Services 

• Feeding Therapy  

Other Therapies 

• Specialized Art Therapy 

• Dance Therapy 

• Music Therapy 

• Horseback Riding Therapy 

GRRC can only pay for these types of services if other funding (for example, private health insurance, Medi-Cal or schools) isn’t available to pay for them.

The regional center can provide translation and/or interpreter services if you and your service provider speak different languages to help you both communicate. Regional centers also try to make sure they can provide a social worker who speaks the same language as you. Sometimes there is not a social worker who speaks the same language, so the regional center can make sure to provide an interpreter to help you and your social worker communicate with each other.

GGRC can help your family pay for day care if you are 12 and under and your parents are working or in school. Sometimes day-care or after-school care may cost more to provide extra support to a child with I/DD. GGRC can help pay for some of these costs.

These services give you supervised care during the day. Adolescent or Adult Supervision may be for you if your parent or parents work outside the home. Your family should try other available resources first before getting this help. The regional center cannot pay for day care instead of you going to a public or private school, or day program.