Honoring a Beloved Member of the LIFE Community

Josh Edelson spent many years as a cherished member of the LIFE community, where he built genuine friendships, found joy in everyday moments, and lived with the independence and dignity that every person deserves. He was known and loved — not just by his family, but by staff, neighbors, and fellow LIFE participants who became his dear friends.

Josh’s story at LIFE is in many ways LIFE’s story.

The Edelson family was instrumental as visionaries who helped establish LIFE decades ago, recognizing that individuals with autism, intellectual disabilities, and learning differences deserved more than institutions — they deserved homes, community, friendship, and lives of their own choosing. That model of supported independent living was revolutionary at the time, and it has guided everything LIFE has done in the 34 years since.

As Josh’s needs grew in recent years, LIFE was able to adapt along with him, increasing the program’s ability to support those who require higher levels of care later in their life. He transitioned into Settlers Group Home, still within his beloved LIFE community and able to have frequent visits from his friends.  During Josh’s time there, LIFE increased the level of care at Settlers Group Home to earn licensure as a medical group home.

Josh never had to leave his community, and the LIFE community never left Josh. He remained surrounded by the people and places he knew and loved, cared for by staff who knew him well. 

The Road Ahead

Josh’s journey reflects a challenge LIFE is now preparing to face on a larger scale.

Three decades later, LIFE’s earliest residents — the pioneering individuals whose families believed in this mission from the beginning — are aging. Many will face increasing care needs in the years ahead: mobility challenges, chronic health conditions, and the kinds of medical complexities that require more than a standard group home can offer.

LIFE is committed to being ready. But being ready requires investment.

Meeting the needs of aging participants may include costs such as:

• Accessibility renovations to existing homes, including adaptive equipment, modified bathrooms, wheelchair access, and safety upgrades
• Specialized medical equipment to support residents with complex health needs in their own homes rather than in clinical settings, including wheelchair accessible vehicles and ramps
• Expanded residential capacity, including purchasing or constructing new group homes designed from the ground up to serve aging adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• Advanced staff training and certification, including clinical credentials that allow LIFE to deliver higher levels of care while also qualifying for increased reimbursement — strengthening the financial future of the program for the long term

Each of these investments is what made it possible for Josh to remain home. Each of them will make the same possible for others.

Give in Josh’s Memory

At the request of the Edelson family, all memorial gifts will be designated to LIFE’s newly established Lifelong Living & Aging Fund, supporting aging and medical-related costs to meet the aging-related needs of LIFE’s participants, many of whom Josh knew as his friends and neighbors.

Your gift — of any size — honors a life well lived and helps ensure that the community Josh loved continues to be there for the people who need it most.

Thank you for supporting LIFE aging-related needs. It is an incredible way to honor and celebrate Josh’s legacy.