You Deserve the Right Support.
Finding the right services for someone you love can feel overwhelming. We're here to make it simple — and to make sure the person you care about gets a life they actually love.
What to Expect at ELS
From your first call to the first day of services, here's how we show up.
A Real Conversation First
We start with a conversation — not paperwork. Our intake team takes time to understand the individual's needs, interests, and goals before anything else.
A Tour Before You Commit
We invite every family to tour our facility and meet our staff before making any decisions. You should feel confident before day one.
A Plan Built Around the Individual
Services are built around each person's unique goals, preferences, and support needs — not a one-size-fits-all program.
Ongoing Communication
Families stay informed. We communicate regularly about progress, activities, and any changes — because you're part of the team.
Supports We Actually Provide
If you're wondering whether ELS can support someone with significant needs, here's what that looks like in practice.
Communication Support
We support individuals who communicate without speech. Staff are trained to work with AAC devices, picture exchange systems, sign language, and other augmentative communication methods. Before day one, we ask families and support coordinators to walk us through how the individual communicates best — and we follow their lead.
Mobility & Physical Assistance
Our Day Support site is accessible and our staff are trained to assist individuals who use wheelchairs, walkers, or other mobility equipment. We support transfers, positioning, and safe movement throughout the day. If an individual has specific mobility protocols from a therapist or physician, share those during intake and we'll follow them.
Personal Care & Daily Living
Staff provide hands-on assistance with toileting, hygiene, dressing, and other personal care tasks at Day Support. We approach personal care with dignity and privacy. Individuals who need significant daily assistance are welcome — we ask that families share the full picture during intake so we can staff appropriately.
Medication Administration
Medication administration is handled according to each individual's support plan and Virginia DBHDS guidelines. Staff who administer medications receive required training. Discuss your family member's medication needs with our intake team before services begin.
How We Communicate with Families
We believe families are partners in care — and we also respect that the adults we support have their own preferences about privacy and information sharing. Here's how we balance both.
Regular updates
We share general updates about activities, progress, and any notable changes during the program day. For individuals who have authorized family communication in their support plan, we provide more detailed information.
Incident notification
Any incident — injury, behavioral event, or health concern — is communicated to the appropriate contacts promptly, following Virginia DBHDS reporting requirements.
Individual consent
Adults we support have rights to privacy. For individuals who have designated a family member as a representative or authorized contact, we communicate accordingly. If you have questions about how this applies to your family member, ask during intake.
Open door
You can reach our team by phone or email during program hours. We'd rather you ask than wonder.
How to Get Started
The path to services is more straightforward than you might think.
Contact Us
Reach out by phone, email, or our contact form. Our intake team will answer your questions and help you understand your options.
Connect with Your Support Coordinator
If you have a Support Coordinator through your waiver, loop them in — they'll help coordinate the referral. Don't have one? We can help you find one.
Tour ELS
Come see our space, meet our staff, and get a feel for what a day at ELS looks like. We encourage every family to visit before starting services.
Complete the Referral
Your Support Coordinator submits a referral on your behalf. ELS reviews it and works with your team to confirm service fit and availability.
Start Services
Once authorization is in place, we coordinate a start date and welcome the individual to ELS.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let's Start a Conversation.
Whether you're just exploring options or ready to move forward, we're here. Reach out — no pressure, no paperwork, just a real conversation.