7 Questions With

Denise

Moore

How long have you been opening your home to adults with developmental disabilities or living with someone with a developmental disability?

About three and a half years now.

What advice do you wish you received when you first started providing services?

You definitely have to be patient with the individuals that you serve. I didn’t know that going into it. To actually have a person seven days a week in your home and have to connect with that person you have to be giving and patient. That helps bridge the gap between any hard times.

What is the hardest part about the work you do?

I guess letting go. You have a person that has become like family in your home and then when it’s time for them to move on to the next family, that’s the hardest part.

What is the best part about the work you do?

The best part is definitely seeing a person live again. Maybe a person that has only lived with family and hasn’t really known what the world is like, to see them really brighten up and see different events and activities that they would not have normally done with their family. So, just seeing them grow is the best thing about this job.

What is a dream that you have for yourself?

I would like to retire and have a second home somewhere in Denver or on a beach in Hawaii.

What is the dream you have for the person(s) you are supporting?

For them to feel empowered and to feel like that they have a voice is like one of the greatest things that I see. The person that I serve has a voice, he’s in power, he has choices, and it just makes him feel great. It makes me feel great to see that I can help with that.

Who do you consider a hero and why?

Oprah because she has opened so many doors for women and has just given women a voice to feel like we are empowered.