When I first met Ramon over 27 years ago, he was walking. But he had a fall and developed a spinal condition. He had an operation, but he never gained back his mobility, and he’s been using a wheelchair ever since. Right now we don’t want him to have any more falls. If he fell he’d be permanently damaged where he wouldn’t be able to do any standing or use his hands or turn his head or neck. That’s why he needs one-on-one care. I am Ramon’s one-on-one direct support professional during the weekdays.
Before his operation Ramon participated in karate, he could put down beautiful floor tiles, and he was able to cook. Although he’s deaf and can only make a few sounds, Ramon is very upbeat, very outgoing. He is 60 but he doesn’t look it. He is fun to be with. He and I both enjoy being outside.
I assist Ramon with his day to day living skills—toileting and eating. I take him to his medical appointments, to basketball games at a YMCA up in the Bronx, and to arts and crafts with a senior citizen group out in Queens. I took him to my church at Thanksgiving and he handed out clothes to the community.
What I worry about is that there won’t be enough direct support professionals around to take care of our individuals as they get older and their disabilities increase. The younger people are not taking on these direct support jobs because of the low salaries. They couldn’t feed their family or pay their rent. Most people that work here have 2 or 3 jobs. I have been fortunate because I live in a family-owned house, so my rent is not as much as if I had to pay regular rent in the real world. If I had to pay real rent I would need to go get a second job. At times, I have been tempted to leave because of the low pay. I need things I can’t afford. So either I do without or I give up something that I like for a couple of months until I can afford to get what I want. That’s a sacrifice. But I stay because I love the individuals. They are like family.
I don’t like the fact that we have such a big staff turnover. A lot of the staff leave for better-paying jobs. The individuals get used to people, but before they can get used to one staff person, they have another person. When staff leave, the individuals get depressed and can have behavior issues. And it’s more work put on us—the staff who stay. We have to work extra hours to fill in and then we have to wait for the agency to hire somebody and train the person that they hire. That’s a lot of responsibility and a lot of pressure on us.
I’d like to tell the legislators that everybody’s job is important, and the people we serve do matter. We shouldn’t have to come home and worry about how we’re going to feed our family and pay our bills after we’ve worked 8 hours a day taking care of somebody else. I think the way they pay us is a disrespect for the work that we do. We are in charge of people’s lives. The legislators and the Governor need to put money in the budget to cover the $15 per hour minimum wage that the Governor has proposed. But even if they don’t pass the $15 minimum, they should raise our salaries because we deserve much higher pay for the important work that we do.
Thank you.