Family members are a key component in what we do at Martha Lloyd Community Services. Our extended family makes it possible for us to fulfill our mission as an organization. This is why Martha Lloyd Community Services is "Where Family Matters."

See what some of our family members have to say.

Marsha Melkonian Testimonial

My sister Mary Jo has cerebral palsy and mental retardation. She has lived at Martha Lloyd Community Services since 1982. There are three daughters in our family, and Mary Jo is the youngest. My father died when we were all in our teens, and Mary Jo lived with my mother until she was 20.

At that time, we all agreed that Mary Jo needed her own life and home, and that my mother needed to be able to live an independent life as well. We looked at many residential settings on the east coast and determined that Martha Lloyd had the best services at the best price, and in the best location.

We loved the small town atmosphere of Troy, and how accepting the local citizens are of the Martha Lloyd residents. I have been in restaurants “incognito” -- without Mary Jo – and have seen other Martha Lloyd residents come in to eat, and have seen them treated just as any customer would be treated – with courtesy and care.

The staff members at Martha Lloyd are wonderful – many of them have taken Mary Jo on their own time to local events and we have come to think of them as extended family members! Although no residential situation is perfect, whenever concerns have come up we have been very happy with the problem solving skills the staff shows.

When Mary Jo started falling more and more as she is aging, they have stayed on top of the situation and found a good source for a rolling walker and helped Mary Jo adjust to it. Mary Jo works in the Coppertree workshop, and the staff there look out for the jobs that she can do and be proud of, and watch out for her safety at the same time.

After my mother died suddenly in 1992, my other sister and I were so glad that Mary Jo had her own home already. I feel so sorry for those adults with a disability who lose their parents and their home when a parent dies. To have to go thru the grief of losing a parent and having to make crucial decisions about where their sibling with a disability is to live next – that is so incredibly hard on the other siblings. I was so grateful to my mother that she had made that search and decision and gotten Mary Jo “settled in” before her death.

After my mom’s funeral, I asked Mary Jo if she wanted to come home with me for a few days. She said no, she wanted to go back to her home and her job. That comforted me so much – that she was retreating to her home the same way I was!

--Marsha Melkonian