Posted by Elise Nakhnikian on February 15th, 2010 at 12:45 am | No Comments »
A scholarship for caregivers will be awarded this spring to a professional caregiver for seniors or adults with disabilities in Vermont. The first annual Linda Andersen Caregiver Scholarship, named in honor of a long-time caregiver who passed away suddenly last year, is being presented by Armistead Caregiver Services in conjunction with the Community of Vermont Elders (COVE).
“We want to honor Linda’s dedication to seniors, her teammates and Armistead with this $1,000 scholarship. We also want to honor caregiving as a career by making access to education and training a little easier,” says Rachel Lee Cummings, President of Armistead. COVE will administer the scholarship, collecting and reviewing applications and making the award decision.
Applicants must have at least two years of caregiving experience, be at least 18 years old, and be a legal resident of Vermont. The winner must apply the money toward education or training related to the caregiver field, such as conflict management, gerontology, psychology, nursing, or medical school.
The scholarship will be awarded in April.
Read more and download the application (PDF)
Posted by Timothy Doe on January 19th, 2010 at 2:28 pm | 10 Comments »
Timothy Doe
You must first be a believer if you would be an achiever.
Late last year, something happened that humbled me more than anything else in the five years that I’ve worked at the Catholic Community Services (CCS) Community Living Program in Tucson: I was chosen as our 2009-2010 Employee of the Year.
I have been assisting people with disabilities since I was in high school. I do this work because I love it, to accomplish goals, and to feel that I am contributing to something. I usually don’t feel as if anyone other than the person I am assisting is aware of what I do. If you’d asked me about that, I would have said it didn’t matter, but this award has made me realize how good it feels to have your work acknowledged.
It has also made me think about the road that led me to this profession that I love. Continue reading »
Posted by Elise Nakhnikian on January 15th, 2010 at 6:32 pm | 7 Comments »
Bridget Siljander
The DCA’s own Bridget Siljander was named DSP Advocate of the Year by the Metropolitan Center for Independent Living (MCIL) in St. Paul, Minnesota.
A recent issue of MCIL’s newsletter (PDF) features an interview with Siljander, in which she talks about how the direct support field has evolved in the dozen years she has been in it, why her fellow direct support professionals should join her in advocating for better working conditions, and more.
“I would challenge everyone who wants better working conditions to do something about it,” she says. “It is very liberating to speak up and to share your experiences – good and bad. There are not enough DSPs doing that and it gives the impression that we are fine with the status quo.”
Posted by Elise Nakhnikian on December 21st, 2009 at 10:33 pm | No Comments »
Charles Wesley Mumbere
A political refugee from Uganda who worked for years as a nursing assistant in Maryland and Pennsylvania has gone back home to take his place as king of the Rwenzururu Kingdom. According to an Associated Press article about Charles Wesley Mumbere, “The new King of Uganda’s Mountains of the Moon has undergone many transformations — from teenage leader of a rebel force to impoverished student to a nursing home assistant working two jobs in the U.S., where he lived for nearly 25 years.”
Mumbere grew up in the bush with a rebel group led by his father, a deposed king who was leading his Bakonzo people in protest against their oppression by the Toro Kingdom. After his father’s death, Mumbere came to the United States to study, gained political asylum, and trained as a nurse’s aide.
He chose the work, he told the paper, because it was reliable. “Other jobs you can be laid off easily.” But surviving on a nursing assistant’s salary wasn’t easy. “Sometimes you have two jobs,” he said. “You go to college in the morning, between 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Then you go prepare to go to work at 3 p.m. and then return at 11 p.m.”
Under a new arrangement with the Ugandan government, the exiled king was reinstated. He has no executive power, but he may determine cultural and social issues affecting his people.
Posted by Lindsay Short on December 21st, 2009 at 9:20 pm | No Comments »
Lindsay Short
I am honored to have been elected president of the Direct Support Professional Association of Minnesota as of next year.
Being a part of DSPAM over the last two years has been an eye-opening, life-changing experience. I’ve had the opportunity to work with amazing people on the DSPAM board of directors, and I’ve watched DSPAM turn into an amazing organization, overcoming many milestones and accomplishing many of its goals.
Continue reading »
Posted by Elise Nakhnikian on November 25th, 2009 at 4:34 am | No Comments »
If you know an outstanding home care worker in Pennsylvania, you may want to nominate him or her for the state’s second annual Direct Care Worker of the Year Award.
The Pennsylvania Department of Aging is currently accepting nominations for the award. Contact Rocco Claroni at 717-772-2932 or rclaroni@state.pa.us for more information.
Posted by Elise Nakhnikian on October 27th, 2009 at 1:58 pm | No Comments »
Daniel Escojido
DSP Chronicles Profiles Daniel Escojido
Daniel Escojido, a 26-year-old direct support professional who is the house manager for a group home is Ponca City, Oklahoma, is profiled in the October issue of
The DSP Chronicles. “Is he mature beyond his 26 years? For sure!” says his supervisor in Tom King’s article. “Some people in this field have got it, and some don’t have it. Daniel’s got it.”
He was inspired to join the field by his mother, Maria, who provided in-home supports for the elderly. “I saw and watched and heard how she talked with them, the difference she made in their lives and how she loved them and they loved her and I’ve never forgotten that,” he told the publication.
Boston Globe Honors Evelyn Coke, Calls for “Decent Pay” for Home Care Workers
An editorial in Sunday’s Boston Globe pays tribute to Evelyn Coke and warns that “many thousands of Evelyn Cokes” will soon be added to the workforce — and they must be paid “a decent wage.” Continue reading »
Posted by Leonila Vega on October 15th, 2009 at 9:05 am | 3 Comments »
DCA board chair Vera Salter teaching members of the 2009 class
“Let the root thrive” was the birthing motto of the Voices Institute inaugural class, inspired by the lakeside location of the DeKoven Center in Wisconsin, where the first graduates launched DCA’s signature National Leadership Program (NLP) to turbo-charge direct care worker leadership and activism.
When I wrote, after the first class graduated, that the inaugural program was one “historic and successful step forward for the movement to empower direct care workers and to fix our broken long-term care system,” I was dreaming of the possibilities. From September 27 through October 3 of this year, direct care workers once again proved their capacity to make the seemingly impossible happen, and to claim the respect they deserve as professionals. The roots are thriving at the state and national level, and the new class of graduates have a place from where to build national policy success. Continue reading »
Posted by Alex Chuang on October 15th, 2009 at 8:36 am | 2 Comments »
D. Alex Chuang
T – It’s about tolerance and inclusion
E – It’s about effectiveness with less efficiency
A – It’s about Acts of Congress and the legislature
M – It’s about message crafting and staying on point
W — It’s about wages and top-line revenue
O – It’s about opening minds and wallets
R – It’s about respect with results
K – It’s about kinships and the human kindred spirit
D. Alex Chuang
Voices Institute NLP Class of 2009
