Archive for ‘skills and attributes’

2011 DCA Voices Institute Training a Smashing Success!

Posted by on May 16th, 2011 at 4:23 pm | 1 Comment »

Tracy Dudzinski

This letter was contributed by DCA Board Chair, Tracy Dudzinski.

Another VI class has come and gone and what a week it was!  First off, I would like to thank all the workers who took the time to come to Wisconsin and develop their leadership skills.  It was a wonderfully diverse group filled with the talented and inspiring people our movement needs to be successful in the coming weeks, months and years.

The 2011 Voices Institute was a full circle moment for me.  I attended in 2008 as a worker and was privileged to come back this year and have the opportunity to expand my leadership skills as a facilitator.  When I arrived on Saturday and walked in the front door of Taylor Hall the memories overtook me.  It was like I was back in 2008 arriving as a student and I couldn’t wait to get started!  It was an exciting week and I enjoyed watching the new class find their voice.  Although some of our attendees were quiet at the beginning of our training, by the end of the week they blossomed like the magnolia tree in the garden, turning into the leaders who will expand this movement in all corners of the country.

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Humble Heroes: Caring and Supporting Beyond the Care Plan

Posted by on March 21st, 2011 at 3:21 pm | No Comments »

Leonila Vega

Meeting with direct care workers whether they work in nursing homes, assisted living or providing care and supports to elders and people living with disabilities in their homes, is both humbling and profoundly inspiring.  The stories I hear or moments I witness are examples of exemplary heroism and personal sacrifice.  These are the kind of stories that refuel your faith in people today, that there are those who – without regard to money, comfort or even means – will take extraordinary steps to help others in need,  whether they be families members or not.  Forty-two personal care assistants received PCA of the Year Award and nine others received outstanding PCA awards.

Recently, I met such humble heroes at the 2011 In-Home Care Workers Have Heart Conference in Oklahoma.   These “humble heroes” possess the qualities I want in a person caring for me, when I need home care as I know some day I will.  I am certain you too want this very type of home care worker to be there for you.   Read more and see for yourself what it means to receive good care, care beyond the plan of care, those essential documents put together by nurses, doctors and others to ensure elders and people living with disabilities have the care they need:

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DCA Launches Personal Care and Support Credential

Posted by on February 7th, 2011 at 1:58 pm | 5 Comments »

Vera Salter

I am thrilled to announce the launch of the Direct Care Alliance Personal Care and Support Professional Credential, a competency-based test that will help improve the quality of long-term care for the elderly and people living with disabilities who depend on personal assistance workers to maintain their autonomy and quality of life.

The credential comes at a pivotal time, as more than 10,000 Baby Boomers reach retirement age each day.  But while the demand for direct care continues to rise, there aren’t enough qualified workers to meet the need.

The credential for personal assistance workers will help professionalize the direct care workforce by: 1) providing elders, people with disabilities and their families with a reliable way to assess the knowledge of those they hire; 2) giving agency employers a customer-centered assessment tool; 3) establishing a national standard for state policy makers; and 4) allowing workers in this field to demonstrate their professionalism and skill.

“Employees of Home Care for Maine go through rigorous training and the state’s mandated curriculum. But there’s no national recognition for their expertise. This credential demonstrates that our staff is qualified, knowledgeable and meets industry standards – giving great benefit to people we serve and our agency a competitive advantage,” said registered nurse Mollie Baldwin, CEO of Home Care for Maine. Continue reading »

DCA Seeks Commissioners to Oversee Personal Care and Support Credential

Posted by on January 31st, 2011 at 11:37 am | No Comments »

The Direct Care Alliance is launching a pioneering professional development initiative for direct care workers and we’re looking for a few committed volunteers to oversee the program.

The DCA’s Personal Care and Support Credential is the first stage of a planned DCA career lattice for direct care workers who provide supports and services to elders and people living with disabilities. The career lattice will ultimately include credentials for various areas of specialization.

The new credential tests for the skills, aptitude, and knowledge personal assistance workers need to provide high-quality, non-specialized care to elders and people living with disabilities. Developed in accordance with Institute for Credentialing Excellence standards, it was based on criteria created in focus groups nationwide by employers, workers, and people who use personal assistance services.

The Personal Care and Support Credential creates a new gold standard for personal and home care work, giving caregivers a way to prove their competence and increase their potential market value and career opportunities. It also provides peace of mind to employers and to the elders and people with disabilities who rely on these workers, offering them a consistent national standard for judging a worker’s professionalism. “This credential is a way for direct care employers and the people needing direct care services to know when they have a highly skilled and knowledgeable worker,” says DCA Professional Development Manager Helen Hanson.

Dennis Fitzgibbons

Dennis Fitzgibbons (left), M.Ed., a co-chair of the commission that oversees the Personal Care and Support Credential, says it will be particularly useful for consumers and employers recruiting personal assistance workers. “It will be very helpful for the consumer recruiting a direct care worker to know that a potential worker has demonstrated the knowledge and skills needed to be a good personal assistance worker,” he says. Continue reading »

Shadowing Others Can Lessen Isolation on the Job

Posted by on November 29th, 2010 at 11:54 am | 1 Comment »

This is a guest post from Sheila Caldwell, in response to the policy brief, “Better Jobs for In-Home Direct Care Workers”, which cites isolation as a major problem for many workers.  Sheila is a family caregiver in Maine and is a member of Maine PASA/DCA-Maine. She lives in Windham.

According to the latest DCA policy brief, isolation is a major challenge for in-home direct care workers.  Personally, I have not faced a lot of isolation in my job – I take care of my mom, who lives with me. However, the flip side of that is that it is hard to find workers to go in for a few hours of respite care when I need a break. When I have someone new coming in, I first have them shadow me so that they can learn the ropes and see if they will be compatible with mom.

I strongly feel that a job shadow is one way that employers can help workers get used to the job, and get used to their client. Many times, workers may be fearful when going into a home for the first time. A job shadow would help greatly before a worker is left alone with a client. With a job shadow, be it for a new hire or a seasoned worker, you learn more about your client than you do just by reading the care plan. You also know what to expect on the other side of the door, and you won’t be going in blind. Continue reading »

Improving the Quality of Direct Care to LGBT Older Adults

Posted by on November 15th, 2010 at 11:11 am | 3 Comments »

This is a guest post by Michael Adams, executive director of SAGE (Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders).  Our thanks to Michael for writing this intro to DCA’s latest policy brief, “Supporting Direct Care Workers in Caring for Aging Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Individuals” by Nancy McKenzie.

Michael Adams

There is no denying the importance of direct care workers and their potential impact on the health and well-being of older adults, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults. Direct care workers such as home health aides and nursing assistants deliver vital services that allow older adults to stay in their homes and communities, aging in place successfully. LGBT older adults are especially reliant on these services because they often cannot depend on family members for caregiving. Further, many LGBT elders fear that they will face hostile or unwelcoming health care providers, or might encounter care workers who are unfamiliar with the needs of the LGBT community. This can cause LGBT older adults to delay seeking necessary health care, sometimes indefinitely, and can lead to premature institutionalization in nursing homes and long-term care facilities due to fear of hostile in-home care providers. Continue reading »

The Adventure of Caring for People with Alzheimer’s: A Direct Care Worker Celebrates Alzheimer’s Awareness Month

Posted by on November 15th, 2010 at 10:32 am | No Comments »

Cathy Bouchard

In honor of National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, I wanted to share my thoughts on working with people living with this disease. I’m a direct care worker at an Alzheimer’s Care Center. I came to work here, coming from home care, because I needed the security of full-time employment with benefits. I didn’t have a lot of experience with the Alzheimer’s population, but with the training provided and the guidance of my co-workers, I progressed.

Emotions are experienced in all who are involved as the behaviors come forth adding to the adventure of the day. Becoming a caregiver for someone living with Alzheimer’s can make things easier, interesting, and fun for them and the people in their lives. Some residents love you and think you’re great really appreciating the assistance they get. Others need more time, and you’ll have to try again later. But once you build trust, it is such a pleasure working with them. Continue reading »

Improving Worker Jobs to Meet Consumer Demand

Posted by on October 25th, 2010 at 12:34 pm | No Comments »

Sharon Brothers

You might not be currently experiencing a workforce crisis in your company or community. With the current economy, many people are worried about job security. They’re not looking at the want ads so much as being thankful for the jobs they have. But even today we have unfilled caregiving positions nationwide.  And the gap between trained, prepared workers and the positions we need filled is only projected to widen in the coming years.

By 2030, the number of older adults will nearly double from the 2005 count, and will increase from 12 percent of the US population to nearly 20%. Some employers are thinking – great! No more vacancies! We can even build more communities, and they will come! But what about the staff? Who will be around to provide care in our very full communities? Continue reading »

From the Marine Corps to Direct Care

Posted by on October 18th, 2010 at 9:12 am | 4 Comments »

This is a guest post from Keith Meyers, a direct care worker in Pennsylvania.

I have been a direct care worker for 17 years, but when I started, I didn’t know it would become a life-long career.  I had served in the Marine Corps and came upon an opening for direct care with the career services office, but I wasn’t sure that it was the job for me at first. As I contemplated this decision, a friend suggested that this work, caring for others, might make me a better father. And so, I began my career. Watch my video interview below:

Direct Care Workers Are Lifeline to Millions of Americans

Posted by on September 20th, 2010 at 12:25 pm | No Comments »

This is a guest post from John Hale, public policy consultant for the Iowa CareGivers Association.

John Hale

My feelings about direct care workers have been shaped by some of my life experiences…living down the street from good friendswho had a child with a disability and seeing how direct care workers supported them; seeing my own parents age and getting directly involved in their needs at home, in hospitals, nursing facilities and hospice; and by the work I’ve been doing for the Iowa CareGivers Association that has allowed me to really get to know direct care workers and to advocate for and with them at the Capitols in Des Moines and in Washington DC.

I’ve learned what I hope all Iowans and Americans will someday learn…that we are all aging and that we are all one accident or illness away from a disability. And, that even though we’d prefer not to think about it, our lives may more than likely be directly affected by a direct care worker someday. And when that happens, we will want someone assisting us that is well trained, really cares about the work they do, and is someone that we can count on to be there for us today, tomorrow and for as long as we need them.

The Opinion piece published in the Register was a response to an AP article run in papers across the nation that “hit a nerve” with me and many others who read it. It required a response. I hope that direct care workers will see it, smile, and then do two things — do the best job they possibly can at the work they do every day AND keep up their efforts to make sure that policy makers understand the challenges they face and the things that are needed (better compensation, better training, better staffing levels, etc.) to improve the lives of workers and the quality of care provided to those they serve.

An excerpt of the Opinion piece, below: Continue reading »

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