We have provided a few examples below of how our work has made a positive difference in the lives of the families we serve. We invite you to read these stories so that you might have a better understanding of what we do, and what we can do for you and your family.

My son has been diagnosed with Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD) which is an Autism Spectrum Disorder. He receives In-Home Services from Meridian Services. This includes working on identified outcomes and tracking progress towards those goals on a daily basis. These goals are updated yearly and reviewed periodically to ensure that the best use of Meridian staff time, and my son’s time is achieved.

He also receives periodic Respite Services from the Meridian’s Eidelweiss Respite home. He enjoys spending time at the Eidelweiss house and considers it a break from home. They do fun activities when they can and also normal things like going to school or swimming at the YMCA. It helps him to get used to group home life away from his family setting.

Finally, my son attends Meridian Service’s Club Ventures program, offered at the Maple Grove Community Center. It is a wonderful program that helps out when there is nothing formally organized as an alternative. It provides activities during breaks from school, and during the long summer months where there is no alternative activities.

Over the past two years, my son has made significant strides in his daily life. He has become less anxious and reluctant to try new activities. He has improved his social skills, and has made progress towards successfully living in a group home setting in the near future.

I contribute much of the progress my son has made to the staff and systems that Meridian has put in place to help developmentally disabled individuals like my son become more independent and adventurous. Thank you to all of the staff who work with him routinely and as needed. We appreciate everything Meridian Services has done for him. I am impressed with the quality of the staff and their high degree of professionalism. Most importantly, I appreciate the high level of responsibility they take for their job. We count on Meridian to provide much needed support and they are there for us.

Ronald Blank
Parent
Ramsey, Minnesota

Our daughter loves it at the Green Fields home. She seems very content and thinks of it as home. She enjoys the staff and her roommates. She gets to choose individual home or community activities such as one on one time with staff, and other activities with her housemates. She is more comfortable about her transportation in getting to church on Sunday morning as she previously felt that she was inconveniencing someone.

It has been an overall positive experience for our daughter at Green Fields. The location of the house is convenient, as it is close to her place of employment and her parents live only a few miles away.

We are also grateful that Meridian hired our daughter’s former PCA and daughters to work at Green Fields. We think that all the ladies have fun with them.

Dottie and Bruce Anderson
Parents
Buffalo, Minnesota

We have long hoped and prayed that our daughter’s behaviour would improve to the point that we could take her out in public without her crying or having outbursts of any kind. In recent months, we have found that we can take her anywhere, at anytime. We are so happy and proud of the improvements she has made. The staff at the Meridian Services house in Long Prairie are absolutely the best staff she has ever had. They are loving and kind, yet still provide the discipline my daughter needs. It is now a pleasure and so much easier to have her at home for a visit. I want to thank all the staff at Meridian for the love, kindness, and help they have given us. Thank You.

Gladys Zellgert
Parent
Long Prairie, Minnesota

My name is Brenda and my son has received services from Meridian Services for about three years. I have been very happy with all that they have given to my son through their Club Ventures, Eidelweiss Respite, and In Home Services programs. Meridian works hard to find the right person to work with my son and I know that they work very well with each other. I would never want change to another company. Meridian has been very good to my son and to my family.

Brenda Lee Brown
Parent
Lexington, Minnesota

When one of our newest consumers came to live at Maple Lake, he had a feeding tube and was unable to sleep through the night. He had to be sound asleep before the home’s staff could put him to bed, as he would scream and cry if he were awake when put to bed. Today, he no longer has a feeding tube. He eats well and does so almost entirely independently. He sleeps through the night, and he enjoys spending quiet time in his bed.

Kelly Reichel
Maple Lake Program Manager
Maple Lake, Minnesota