If your cousin is mentally challenged and his mother does not give him what he needs what can you do?

Answer 1

I'm not particularly sure what you mean but if your talking about basic needs then yes do what ever it is to help out your help will be greatly appreciated sometimes it's hard for parents to do what is necessary for their kids who have learning disability so yes help if you can. Social Sevices or Human Services wouldbe the people to talk to. If he is at school see if you can talk to one of his teachers. Persons who are mentally challenged are eligible to receive many forms of public assistance including Medicare, Medicaid and other government aid and resources. In such situations a case worker is assigned to oversee the personal care of the mentally challenged person including educational and physical therapy, special medical needs and so forth. If the family is not receiving such aid it may be due to the fact that the parents/caregivers are not aware of the assistance that is available. The state's department of family and human services can assist in whatever matter is needed, telephone numbers can be found in the "state government pages" of the local phone directory. Before making the conclusion that said person is not getting what is needed, one must be very certain what those needs are. If the person is not being kept healthy by proper diet and hygiene, not receiving needed medical or dental care, or there are signs of abuse or neglect it is a serious problem and it should be reported at once. On the other hand it may be a misunderstanding of what the person's needs are by those who are not schooled in the care of the mentally handicapped. One option might be to communicate to the parent(s) one's concerns about the care being given and try to find an equitable solution before involving outside agencies. Depending on the degeree of "needs not met", there are a few things you could do to help. Ask the mother if she is aware of assistance available for special needs children and adults. If not, help her make some phone calls to various agencies; state and town etc... Sometimes it can be overwhelming for a mother of someone with special needs, and a little help can go a long way. Some parents a against any help from "outsiders". If there is outright neglect or abuse, you should call the state and find out which agency could help the situation. No child or adult should be abused or neglected, and the penalty is higher for abuse/neglect of the elderly and hanicapped. If the situation is high priority (abuse, serious neglect, serious lack of ordinary care), the person may need to be removed from their current living conditions. ANOTHER POINT of view is that it is a FELONY to abuse and/or neglect a person with MENTAL RETARDATION,, you can help your cousin by contacting the State Agency that protects people with retardation. They will investigate and if they find the handicapped person IS being neglected, they can help the parent to meet the necessary laws of proper care and/or help them get out of that situation....Best of luck...you are doing your cousin a BIG favor by helping them out. Do NOT call it retardation that word is not acceptable any more. The question you have to ask youself is how your cousin is being neglected or treated. If the situation is minor and your cousins carer is finding it difficult to look after your cousin on their own, or even with the help of family, there are polenty of care services that can help. Asking at the school or asking a social worker, if they have one, is a good place to start. If the situation is harming your cousins development, or mental, or physical help you may want to bypass your cousins carer and go to through the school or social worker and they will be able to assess the situation proffessionally and set in place what supports or actions that are needed.