DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS
on Work Force Issues
Presented by Jamie Spear
March 13, 2015
I work at a residence uptown where I provide direct support to eleven adults with developmental disabilities–some verbal, some nonverbal, some ambulatory, some immobile. I’ve been there for almost eight years. I’m very attached to all eleven.
Felicia uses a wheelchair. She wears diapers, and I have to change her. I have to lift her like you would a baby. I have to shower her and assist her with eating because she’ll put all the food in her mouth real quick and she could choke. Although she can’t walk, she’ll get out of her bed and crawl into the living room and lift herself up onto a chair and just sit there. She’s like: “This is where I want to be.” It’s a wonder to see her do this.
Peter is nonverbal. When he first arrived at the residence, staff didn’t understand him at all. His family understood him, but we staff didn’t know what he wanted and he didn’t know what we wanted. He banged his head and punched holes in the walls. He didn’t use the restroom appropriately and didn’t know how to use a fork or a spoon. But throughout the years, staff taught him communication and other skills. Now he uses a fork and puts his plate in the kitchen. Now he signals: he’ll point to his mouth when he is hungry. If he’s banging his head, that’s one of his behavior problems, but it can also be a signal that means he’s hungry. He’ll shake his hand; that means he wants to go to the bathroom. He used to have one-on-one staff, but he doesn’t need that any more. Now he understands the staff and has learned many new skills. It’s a miracle!
I took all the training courses that my agency provides. I was taught how to work with our individuals, I learned CPR and medication administration and how to manage difficult behaviors. You need a lot of training to do this work. There are trainings every year.
Direct support is a very demanding job. Duties are always being added to our daily assignment. When someone is diabetic, you have to learn how to do a finger stick to test his sugar. When someone’s heart rate is very slow, you have to monitor his eating and his weight, and check every hour to make sure he is ok. There are currently six people in the residence with high blood pressure, and you have to check their blood pressure daily, for some people twice daily. If they come with rashes, you’ve got to apply medicine until the rash goes away. If they have a common cold, you have to monitor that. If they have diarrhea, you have to monitor that, and make sure they are kept clean. There are so many things that go on in the residence. You have to make sure that they are safe at all times.
I am paid $12 an hour. I have three children. I support them myself. My expenses don’t match my salary at all. Sometimes I have to juggle—lower the hems on my daughter’s clothes or stretch a meal. The majority of the staff have two jobs, but I can’t do that because I have kids at home.
I can’t believe the legislators have any idea at all of what direct support requires or they would have paid us according to how hard the job is. I appreciate that they gave us a 2% raise in January and will give another 2% in April. But the truth is, the raises don’t make enough of a difference.
I stay in this job because I enjoy helping the individuals. It’s like giving back. When the individuals make progress, it makes you feel like this job is worth having. You’ve done something for someone that’s helping them to live a better life.
I would love to convince the legislators that a pay raise is really necessary for direct support staff. The government wouldn’t disrespect a fireman who saves people’s lives. But what about us? That’s what we’re doing every day: we’re here keeping people alive.
Thank you.