Posted by Elise Nakhnikian on November 25th, 2009 at 4:49 am | 1 Comment »
(L to R) Connie, Alex and me on our panel
The New Mexico Direct Caregivers Coalition’s 2009 summit was our first conference – we just started our coalition this year – so we were a little nervous going into it. But by the end of the day on November 6, we all felt great.
About 125 people from all across the state got a lot out of the summit. We packed the day with educational sessions, running three at a time in four time slots, and we had some great speakers.
Our educational sessions ranged from self-advocacy to job-related skills to what caregivers need to know about technology. Topics included Affordable Health Insurance for Direct Caregivers, Dementia vs. Hearing Loss – How to Recognize when Hearing Loss is Causing the Misunderstanding, Caring for Yourself First, Family Caregivers as Advocates, and Advocating your Cause: Caregiver Advocacy 101.
I was on one of the panels, along with my fellow 2009 Voices Institute National Leadership Program graduates Connie Kreider and Alex Brandt. I talked about why we direct care workers need respect and recognition. Connie told people about the DCA, and Alex talked about our generally low wages and why they need to improve. The people who came to hear us asked a lot of good questions. Continue reading »
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 Linda Longsine on October 26th, 2009 at 11:32 pm | 2 Comments »
Linda Longsine
A is for the admiration I received
W is for the wonderful people
E is for everything I appreciate about the people of the DCA
S is for that special someone who gave confidence that I could do it
O is for the one thing that made a big difference in my life
M is for the many new friendships I made
E is for the experience that will make me a whole lot better person
Linda Longsine
Voices Institute NLP Class of 2009
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 Connie Kreider on October 15th, 2009 at 8:42 am | 1 Comment »
Connie Kreider with fellow graduate Tony Wells at the 2009 VI NLP
B– breathing and inhaling the amazing week
E– entering and walking down a new path of leadership
L–learning and leaving footprints for others to follow
I–internal peace and tranquility
E–experiencing renewed strength and feeling blessed by walking on hallowed ground
F–friends for a lifetime, feelings of one unbreakable strength and renewed passion
Connie Kreider
Voices Institute NLP Class of 2009
Posted by Pat Downing on October 15th, 2009 at 8:39 am | 1 Comment »
Pat Downing
E is for encouraging us to change
N is for new core beliefs developed
L is for the love we have for being DCWs
I is for I believe in myself
G is for all the good changes we can make
H is for our hearts of gold
T is for teambuilding skills we learned
E is for effective advocating
N is for all negative beliefs left behind
I is for inspiring us to change
N is for new friendships made
G is for our growing edge as leaders
Pat Downing
Voices Institute NLP Class of 2009
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
Posted by Brenda Nachtway on October 13th, 2009 at 3:18 pm | 1 Comment »
Brenda (L) with Jackie Merkel at the 2008 Voices Institute National Leadership Program
A is for the award-winning experience
W is for a wonderful, worthy cause
E is for exposure to new ideas
S is for soothing smiles and soul
O is for the overwhelming openness of my newfound friends
M is for meaningful memories
E is for everlasting
Brenda Nachtway
DCA Direct Care Worker Specialist and graduate of the 2008 class of the Voices Institute National Leadership Program
Posted by Tracy Dudzinski on October 13th, 2009 at 1:49 pm | No Comments »
Tracy Dudzinski
I is for the inspiration I received from the other workers
N is for the newfound confidence that I have in myself
C is for the catalyst of change I have become
R is for the roar I have developed
E is for the extra friends I’ve made
D is for the defining moments that have changed me as a person
I is for the insight I have about myself
B is for the belief I now have in myself
L is for the lion I’ve become
E is for the endless memories I took home with me
Tracy Dudzinski
DCA Board member and graduate of the 2008 class of the Voices Institute National Leadership Program
Posted by Shannon Gilbert on September 19th, 2009 at 2:20 am | 1 Comment »
Shannon Gilbert
It’s official! The Direct Support Professionals of Indiana, better known as DSPIN, is the newest affiliate of the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP).
We submitted our contract agreement to NADSP on August 17. Before long, we were on their website, listed as one of their state affiliates.
But there was a lot of work to do before that happened, and there’s a lot more to be done.
I told you about our first meeting, where we had a kind of informal focus group, talking to the direct support workers and others who showed up about potential obstacles to setting up a state association and ways to get around them.
At our next meeting, we came up with our name and our first board of directors. I got elected president – I tried to give it to someone else, but they all said “No, you have to do it; you’re the one with the idea and all the information.” After that, people stepped up to fill in the slots and do what needed to be done.
There are 10 board members, and they’re all direct support professionals from around the state. I’ve never met any of them before they showed up for our meetings. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of the agencies some of them work for. That’s how distant we DSPs are from each other, most of the time. The more we work together on this, the more we share our stories and realize how much we have in common. It’s a really good peer group connection. Continue reading »
