My perceptions

Perhaps it's no coincidence that I just finished reading Karen Kinsbury's novel "Just Beyond the Clouds." In the novel, the main female character works with adults with Down Syndrome, teaching them life skills, with the hope that they will eventually be independent. The main male character resists the idea of the independence of his younger brother who has Downs. I now find myself in the same situation as the main male character. My friend wants to spread her wings and leave her group home and live in an apartment with three other women. She has not been successful in an apartment situation in the past. She consistently ended in the hospital and in another group home. I asked her some questions yesterday. "Can she fix herself lunch? How will she get her groceries? Is she responsible for cleaning the apartment?" She told me she can microwave dishes and fix canned soup. A van will take her to the grocery store. My friend can't walk well..is waiting for knee surgery. Will the pain prohibit her from taking a bus? In the book, Elle comments. "We monitor every step of the way. We don't just drop them off at their apartment and wish them luck." I want my friend to be successful in this new adventure, but I am concerned that she might not have developed enough maturity to deal with the dynamics of the women in her apartment. I feel that she has not been monitored, that she has not been prepared. Only my perceptions and of course I will assisst her in any way possible to help her become independent.