FAQ
Admissions
Q. What is the age range for individuals to attend Cedars?
A. Cedars provides services for adults. In most cases, individuals who are 22 and older are served by Cedars programs.
Q. Does Cedars provide a way that I can see in ‘real-time’ how the individuals participate in the programs?
A. Cedars is happy to arrange tours of day programs and residential settings.
Q. Can Cedars provide services for people who live out of the area?
A. Yes. Individuals who live outside of the Golden Gate Regional Center service area must work with their local case manager to be referred to Cedars, and the referral must be approved by the Golden Gate Regional Center. Those who are paying privately do not need to go through this process, and are welcome to explore Cedars.
Q. Can individuals reside full-time at Cedars?
A. Yes. Cedars only provides full-time residential programs and does not provide respite services. However, residents often visit their family, friends and go on vacations.
​
Q. Do you have group homes and how are individuals selected to be in one home over another?
A. All Cedars residential services are provided in a group home settings, licensed by the State. Each home offers a different level of support primarily distinguished by the amount of staff support that is available. Individual needs are assessed through the admissions process in order to ensure that the right level of support is offered to the individual.
​
Q. How long does it take to be admitted to a Cedars program?
A. When an individual is referred to Cedars programs, admissions is based on available vacancies and the right fit for both the person and the program. How long that takes can vary and is often hard to predict.
​
For day programs, the wait is not usually very long as we have more flexibility with scheduling full and part time attendance and a fairly large capacity. For our residential program, the wait can be longer, and admissions is not based on first come-first served basis like you might expect with traditional waiting lists. Cedars operates several types of homes with different levels of staffing support, so the goal is to match the individual’s needs to the type of home that will offer the right level of support based on available vacancies.
Programs
Q. Can my family member attend a day program without residing at Cedars?
A. Absolutely. Many Cedars day program participants live elsewhere — with families, in their own homes, or in other group home settings.
Q. I noticed you have three different day programs. Is it possible for my family member to attend one program for a month, then switch to another the following month and so on?
A. We recommend that day program participants create a regular weekly schedule that can include participation in more than one Cedars day program if desired.
Q. While attending one of the programs, are the individuals guided carefully throughout the day? My daughter has some very specific needs that need to be attended to.
A. Each day program has a specific participant to staff ratio and a program design that allows for the support of various needs. The assessment process provides an opportunity to determine if the individual needs can be met by the program.
Q. Do day program participants have the opportunity to earn income?
A. Yes. Participants may earn income through the sales of their art, textiles, jewelry or other crafts. Cedars also supports a client run co-op for the work related to the Textile Arts Collaborative garden, gardening crew and animal programs. Co-op members receive dividends based on the income from this collaborative work.
​
Q. How are the rooms set-up for the full-time residents?
A. Basic bedroom furniture can be provided for residents, but most choose to bring their own. Individuals are encouraged to decorate their room and make it feel like home.
​
Q. How are the days structured for the residents?
A. Residents attend day programs or go to work Monday–Friday from about 8–3. During the evenings and weekends residents participate in community activities, share household chores like laundry, meal preparation and shopping and enjoy the comforts of sharing a home with friends.
Healthy Living
Q. How does Cedars support individual health care needs in the residential settings?
A. Cedars uniquely designed Health Services Department offers healthcare coordination for all Cedars residents including assistance such as accompanying them to appointments, tracking health care data and working with residential staff on individual health care objectives. Families often collaborate with Cedars to support individual healthcare outcomes.
Q. Does Cedars offer fitness activities for all residents?
A. Cedars encourages regular exercise for all residents. This might include neighborhood walks, participation in Special Olympics or working out at a gym. Cedars has a fitness room located on the Main Campus, and also enlists the weekly services of a wellness trainer to support and encourage individuals in their fitness goals.
Q. I’m concerned about my son’s dietary limitations, how would that be managed?
A. We are happy to support most dietary plans, including those ordered by physicians.
Q. Do the parents have influence over the food provided at Cedars?
A. Menus are developed by residents and staff based on the preferences of the residents and Cedars nutrition guidelines.
If you have additional questions please contact Cheryl White, Co-Executive Director at 415.526.1352 or cheryl@cedarslife.org.