Walking into the Horwitz home, a resident named Josh will greet you with an eternally youthful smile and immediately introduce himself. He has an incredibly welcoming demeanor that creates the feeling you’ve been friends for years.

Josh is one of five people living independently in the Santa Ana home operated by Momentum. Josh has autism, and at the age of 48, his mother, Barbara, has deemed him the “old man” of the group. But, regardless of his mother’s impression, he and the four other residents have developed a strong bond.

“Josh is a very interesting person,” Barbara says of her son. “He’s very smart; he’s good at picking up languages, and has a very good memory, and is an avid sports fan.”

Before living in Horwitz, the Cohen’s sought independence for Josh. “It started with him living in a condo we purchased. It worked pretty well for the first few years, but the biggest issue is it’s rather isolating. And he still had to rely on us for any social activities,” she says.

Barbara says that finding a group home that would offer her son independence while creating a sense of community was a tall order.

“You’re hard-pressed to find a high-quality group home,” Barbara says. “One where there is a home feeling that is really well run and people can still be independent.”

So Barbara and her husband and a few other families went to the Jewish Federation to fill that need. After some work, several donated homes became available in 2014. These structures are the genesis of the Horwitz and Mandel homes. In 2021, Momentum took over the management of the two locations. Both houses, steeped in Jewish tradition, do not require residents to be Jewish to live in the home. “It gives them an extra connection, that level of warmth,” Barbara says.

“His independence is immeasurably important (and) until we had that feeling again, I just couldn’t relax,” she says. Josh currently holds an office job through a work program. Momentum collaborates with other agencies to help find the right fit for the people supported to give them the best chance at success.

“One of the things I tell people, a lot, is that when you’re the parent of a child with any kind of disability, your biggest concern is what happens to your child when you get to the point that you can’t take that good care of them or you’re just not here anymore,” Barbara says. “Here is a population of people who are getting tremendous benefit from living in these houses. They achieve independence with a strong sense of self, living independently with the resources they need. Momentum has done such great work. It’s important to us knowing he’s in a safe and enjoyable place.”

Barbara explains that supporting opportunities for people with disabilities is an investment in the whole community. When people with disabilities “become nurtured by Momentum, they start becoming more productive, and that makes for a better society.”

During a session with her Momentum speech therapist, young Romina presses a button on an iPad that sounds the word “love” as she holds a toy baby in her arms.

Isabelle, the 2-year-old girl’s speech therapist, echoes the device. “You love baby?” she asks, as Romina gives the doll a hug.

This learning moment is part of Momentum’s Leaps and Bounds program, where various therapies are available to help children with speech and language development. While she has down syndrome and receives support with her speech, Romina is a very expressive and active child. She uses on her iPad the LAMP Words for Life application, which can assist her self-expression through a speech-generating technology. This system allows Romina to follow a consistent motor plan to build her vocabulary.

During the visit with her therapist, Romina looks back at the device and selects the word she wants to use. The word “little” comes from the iPad, as Romina points to it to confirm.

“I try to give meaning to anything she’s telling me,” Isabelle says. Romina’s progress has exploded since joining Momentum’s pediatric programming in Torrance. Her mother, Lucia, was referred during the pandemic and began Romina’s journey through telehealth therapies.

“I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to find her the help she needs,” Lucia said. “Thanks to Momentum, I’m able to help, as well, and see that progress.”

Telehealth can not only serve as a tool for children but for families who learn the therapies alongside their kids. For Lucia, it meant investing the time to learn how to assist in Romina’s development. Throughout the experience, Romina’s older, protective sister has cheered Romina as she completes each exercise.

“In the beginning, there was quite a learning curve with telehealth for all families,” said Blanca Navarro, an Early Intervention teacher and a bilingual specialist at Momentum since 2012. “We realized we needed a lot of involvement from parents with their children. They needed to be our hand in therapies. Our methods are very hands-on. Lucia was very committed to being that helping hand for Romina’s growth.”

Blanca worked closely with Lucia, who does not speak English, to ensure language was not a barrier to meeting the family’s needs. “I personally feel it has been incredibly helpful that I speak Spanish. Families that don’t speak English have expressed how difficult receiving services can be if there isn’t Spanish available.”

“It makes a big difference. Then there is the cultural aspect,” Kimberlee Elliott, Director of Early Intervention, said. “Families, when you’re from their culture, they know you get their struggles in the outside community. That’s why being a family-center clinic, it’s so nice to have a multicultural staff. I think that’s key for helping our families be their child’s best advocate and best teacher.”   

Romina now attends classes in person. The telehealth services have offered the building blocks for her development to accelerate quickly and in a comprehensive way.

For other families with a child diagnosed with down syndrome, Lucia urges them not to be afraid of needing or asking for help. “When I was pregnant, my world felt like it was coming down with the doctors told me did not look well. After finding out the diagnosis, I relaxed because I have seen other kids with down syndrome. Once I saw Romina, I was in love. And she’s the best gift God has ever given me.”

As Romina gets older, Lucia hopes the early intervention will help offer her a path to a happy and independent life.

Kim found her daughter Shelby thriving in the Day Program where she could hone her artistic talent and social life. “It’s just a wonderful place and so comforting to see her involved. She would have been lost if she had nowhere to go after high school,” Kim said. Due to the pandemic, the Day Program pivoted to virtual programming, which some, including Shelby, found difficult to embrace. The intricacies of human interaction don’t translate to screens. “I think that Zoom is hard for her, she doesn’t really understand why she can’t see them in person. She calls it TV, ‘Why are they on TV?’ It exhausts her. She likes more of the personal interaction in person.”

Momentum staff is awaiting everyone’s return as we continue to limit in-person capacity for safety. “That’s why we all work here, being around them in person is so much better,” Anne Rivera, Washington Place manager, said. ”When they’re here, they are social butterflies.”

Bishop bounced into his Wednesday afternoon physical therapy session beaming with pride, “I worked on those ankle circles all weekend!” Bishop was born with club feet and after a number of major surgeries, his doctors approved physical therapy and Bishop’s family found MPTN in Torrance. For MPTN physical therapist Rachel Kling, witnessing a patient experience progress is one of the best aspects of the job. “Already he’s more willing to participate in school activities and his feet aren’t hurting,” she said. “The fact that he sees the benefits of what we’re doing in here is just so rewarding.” During his session, Bishop worked on stretching and strengthening exercises at one of MPTN’s gym suites on the clinic’s campus.

In just a few short months at Momentum, Bishop’s mother Sophia has seen her child’s confidence skyrocket. “That’s one of his biggest changes, his motivation, his eagerness to learn and grow. He’s able to say this is who I am and my diagnosis doesn’t prevent me from becoming the best I can be,” Sophia said. “They’ve given him hope and more ability. Physical therapy at Momentum has been a drastic improvement in Bishop’s life.” Your gift can help support the resources available at MTPN and families just like Bishop’s.

The advancements in 3D printing have transformed the lives of the people we support. More than 100 people utilize adaptive tools at Momentum with more designs and ideas being created by our team. From Momentum artists to kids receiving Momentum PTN services, these 3D devices are an incredible addition to our resources.

“When I first started, we would make adaptive tools by hand, DIY style,” said Aranga Ker, Momentum’s Curatorial and Adaptive Design Manager. “Now we’re eyeing ways to help kids who have sensory issues and supporting artists to create and express their creativity in an accessible way.” Therapists at Momentum’s PTN clinic have come up with insoles to help children who experience sensory processing difficulties. The insoles have squishy, textured padding that can help a child who feels uncomfortable with the smoothness found inside a shoe.

The 3D printed sole is durable and relatively inexpensive to create and is just one of many
different ideas Momentum is pushing forward to rethink how we approach disabilities and medical conditions with technology. Your gift can help in that exciting effort.

Written by Donald Geagan

November 20th is an important day for me. This last one marked the 19th anniversary of being diagnosed with bladder cancer. I was diagnosed at UCLA in 2002 and underwent treatment for five days in the hospital. All of this followed a joyous occasion of celebrating my brother’s wedding.

Following treatment, I received positive news my cancer was in remission. For 15 years, I went back to the doctors to follow up. In 2017, it had returned. But I had the support system around me to fight. Norma, who still works here at Momentum today, took me bright and early to surgery on November 9th, 2017. It required a 39-day hospital stay and recovery from serious side effects including two infections. When I was finally released for home, a fever developed, forcing another 17-day stint in the hospital. Thanksgiving in the hospital isn’t quite like being at home…

During this time, my parents too struggled with health issues themselves. I feel incredibly grateful for the support I had during that time. If it wasn’t for the Momentum staff, my brother and my sister-in-law, and Don Sr. I don’t know what I would have done. Kathy and Josie came to visit me in the hospital and Cameron busted me out of there after 56 days in the hospital.

Now at home, I reflect over the past few years and where life has taken me. I am doing art class every Thursday and I am watering the flowers every other day and tend to the garden. I am living life to my fullest and feeling great! As we continue to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic, I am looking forward to fun activities again, such as the Starlight Ball this month and taking a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood. I can’t believe my good fortune and I am very thankful.