By Cindy Adams

Allison can't tell you her favorite songs, but you'll likely know them the second she starts humming. It might be the national anthem, "Rocky Top" or "Delta Dawn." If she's in the mood, it might be "Achy Breaky Heart." She hums her way through the day, cycling through nursery rhymes, Disney songs and anything sung by Alabama. She especially loves it when someone joins in singing along. She may be nonverbal, but she has no trouble telling the staff at Chapman Group Home in Roanoke exactly who she is and what she is about. They've spent a decade listening.

Allison moved into Chapman in 2015. Since then, the staff haven't just cared for her, they've studied her, the way you study someone you love, picking up on the many small things that make her a whole person. They noticed the humming, her infatuation with music. So, they got her a large jukebox for her room. She loves the lights almost as much as the music. It's just right for her, and they knew it would be.

They noticed how she constantly wanted snacks, too. It was almost like she couldn't rest until she had one in hand. Jeanette Vaught, House Supervisor, had a theory. Maybe it wasn't the snack she needed as much as knowing it was there. So, they put a portable closet in her room, and they stocked it with snacks, including her favorite bottled Starbucks coffee which she drinks every morning before she leaves for enCircle’s Day Support program. Her Pure Leaf tea is reserved for when she returns in the afternoon. Now, Allison just taps the closet door when she wants something. And she doesn't ask nearly as often. Turns out, she just needed to know the answer was already "yes."

And then there are the sunflowers. When it came time to redecorate her room, Jeanette sat down with her and scrolled through options, waiting to see what would catch her eye. It was definitely sunflowers. Allison's whole face lit up when the bright yellow flowers flashed on the screen. Her grin was so big, there were no questions left to ask. Now she has sunflower curtains, pillows, shower curtains, wall art, bedding, you name it.

"She is so happy," said Jeanette who has spent plenty of afternoons letting Allison play with the filters on her phone and watching her laugh at her own Snapchat pictures.

That's Allison. Happy and entirely herself. She is quietly endearing.

Now, at age 64, her needs have started to change. Her care has grown more complex and calls for someone with medical training to be close by all the time. So, Allison is moving into a Family Care Home within enCircle, where she'll be the only client in the home of Tianna Tyler, a nurse. For Allison, that means she'll have one set of eyes just on her. And that suits her just fine.

It's a good match. Cecilia Rose, Regional Manager of enCircle's group homes, has known Allison long enough to understand her preferences.

"Allison likes calm environments," Cecelia said. "When I see her sitting quietly in her room with her tea, she just looks like the queen of her castle. I love to see her so happy, and I know that will continue in her new home."

Tianna is excited for Allison's arrival. The two of them met a while back and Tianna said that after just a few minutes, she could see herself living with Allison and the two of them having a good life together.

"I am family oriented, so we will have gatherings that we can enjoy, but it will just be the two of us living in the house," Tianna said.

Allison's new house has recently been renovated. It's a nice mix of traditional and modern. She will have her own bedroom on the first floor with a big walk-in shower. And it's next to the kitchen. Perfect!

"She has a blank slate to personalize everything her way," Tianna added. "I just look forward to giving her the quality of life she deserves."

This is how enCircle practices its Guiding Principle of being Person-Centered. When a person's needs change, enCircle pivots accordingly. Instead of asking Allison to adjust, enCircle adjusts around her. Allison won't lose her sunflowers, jukebox or snack closet. Every bit of it will go with her. Her next castle awaits.

And, even better, she'll have someone new to sing along as she hums Alabama's "Mountain Music." No telling how special that duet may turn out to be.