Parents weigh differences between center and new homes

John and Connie Testa must drive farther to visit their ailing daughter, Christine, but they figure her new home is worth it.

The Testas, of Canonsburg, used to have a short drive to Western Center in Cecil Township. But since it closed a year ago, Christine was moved to McGuire Memorial group home in Chippewa Township, Beaver County. Although the drive is longer and harder, Connie Testa thinks the move was for the best.

'We have to travel 50 miles, but we feel she's in better hands,' she said.

Although other group homes for the mentally retarded in the South Hills and Washington County provide little, if any, extra travel for parents and loved ones, some have had some highly publicized problems.

Two deaths at group homes in the past six months have brought calls for investigations into the level of care received at group homes for the mentally retarded. And two other group homes are involved in lawsuits against communities that have prevented the homes from opening.

Last fall, Timothy Michaels, 50, was left unsupervised in a bathtub at a group home in Bethel Park run by Gertrude Barber Center of Erie. He had a seizure and drowned. Last month, Richard Malpassi, 51, fell in a group home in Canton Township operated by Lifesteps of Butler and died a week later without regaining consciousness.

The Barber Center, which also runs group homes on Fawn Valley Drive in Peters Township and Cynthia Drive in Baldwin Borough, has sued both municipalities for denying permits to the homes.

The Peters Township Zoning Board denied a permit last summer, and the Barber Center sued in the fall, the day after Michaels died. A hearing is expected this fall. The center also sued Baldwin last month, and a hearing scheduled for last month was postponed and has not been rescheduled.

The Baldwin home still is unoccupied, but residents are scheduled to move there this year, said Jay Pagni, spokesman for the state Department of Public Welfare.

The Peters Township home has been occupied by four men since the day after Western Center was closed, moving 44 residents to temporary homes or group homes.

One is Ronald Giannini, 50, who lived at Western Center for 36 years. His father, Aldo Giannini of Wilmerding, was the secretary of the parents group and one of the most vocal opponents of the closing of the center.

Giannini said his son seems to be doing well now after a brief period of adjustment.

The adjustment period hasn't ended for Christine Testa. Her mother said although the people at the home take care of her, and although she lives with two other residents who had been at her unit at Western Center, she still asks for aides from the institution.

'She's just starting to adjust,' she said.

Giannini said that he's not worried about the zoning issue, which sparked the lawsuit. However, he said the house his son lives in has only three bedrooms, which means two residents have to share a room. He's also worried that getting to the game room in the basement provides a potential hazard for the residents and noted that the backyard of the house is on a slope and can't be used.

Currently, Giannini and other parents are meeting with caregivers, medical personnel and the residents. The operators will offer status reports on the residents, as well as take feedback from parents.

Al Baumgartner, father of another resident, said he had no major complaints about the home. Baumgartner, of Upper St. Clair, takes dialysis in Moon Township and sees his son during his day programs, which also are in Moon.

Vince Guerrieri can be reached at vguerrieri@tribweb.com or at (412) 306-4533.