At Her Own Pace
For Kristen Rogalski, home is built on familiarity.
It is the streets of Auburn. The people she trusts. And her parents, Ed and Theresa, who live just three miles away.
So when they learned that their daughter’s residence would come under Unity House’s operation earlier this year, their first question was simple: Would Kristen be able to stay?
“Our biggest worry was that perhaps the house would close,” Theresa said. “She could end up an hour or two away.”
Finding the right home for Kristen had taken years. After graduating from a private special education school in Utica, she moved into a group home in Chittenango. In early 2022, she relocated to Throop Ave IRA in Auburn, where she has lived ever since.
Kristen, 34, has autism, bipolar disorder and intellectual disabilities. Her parents see her about three times a week, making those visits an important part of her routine.
Through an auspice transfer, Unity House assumed operation of her group home, allowing Kristen to remain where she was and close to her family.
But staying in Auburn was only part of the challenge.
Kristen’s verbal communication is limited, often to one-word responses. When she has trouble expressing what she wants or needs, frustration can build quickly.
“She doesn’t give it a whole lot of time before she can melt down and act out,” Theresa said.
Crowded rooms, unfamiliar places and too much noise can also overwhelm Kristen. Unity House staff began looking for ways to help her venture beyond the routines she knew without losing the security she needed.
When they introduced her to Auburn Day Hab, Ed and Theresa were skeptical. Other programs had not been a good fit. Kristen sometimes refused to leave the van on group outings. At first, five or 10 minutes might be all she could handle.
Then Beth Madill came along.
A community integration specialist, Beth had worked with Kristen at Day Hab a few times. But on Beth’s first visit to the home, Kristen was having a rough morning. She was accustomed to the same staff member picking her up for Day Hab. This time, someone different was waiting.
Kristen refused to leave. She wouldn’t come out of the house.
Amanda invited Beth inside. Kristen recognized her immediately. She walked over, greeted Beth, took her hand and walked out the door.
For Amanda, it was a side of Kristen she had never seen before.
“I’ve never seen that happen before,” Amanda said. “Kristen was never that forthcoming. They really hit it off.”
Now, Beth and Kristen travel throughout Central New York, visiting the mall, going to parks and trying new things.
Little by little, Kristen’s world has grown. A greeting. A sentence. A willingness to walk out the door. Small moments that, together, have begun to change the shape of her days.
“She was comfortable for a long time where she was at,” Amanda said. “Now, she continues to grow daily. She continues to trust more people … She’s come a long way from the girl who shut herself in her room to the girl who’s out in the community every single day.”
Theresa sees the change in Kristen and feels comforted knowing her daughter is in good hands.
“I know that she’s even happier than she was six or eight months ago,” she said. “And I feel like the staff really understand her and her quirks… She’s settled in. She’s quite comfortable. It’s been wonderful.”