Page 9 - Work Force April 2016
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Inadequate resources
straining OPWDD’s
capacity for compassion
Inadequate staff and resources have strained existing developmental disabilities services to the breaking point. The challenge is compounded by the intentional erosion of state-operated services, even as 11,000 individuals and families are on waiting lists in need of services. It takes a special kind of dedicated person to do this difficult work, and it’s not easy to recruit, train and retain them. Here is one such person’s story:
Sarah Moore discovered her capacity for compassion early on in life. It has only grown in her daily work as a developmental aide at the state Office of People with Developmental Disabilities.
“A friend of mine was seriously injured in high
school and
when I saw
the effect his disabilities had on his life and his family, I knew I wanted to pursue
a career
helping people
cope with
circumstances like that,” Moore said.
Compassion is a necessary resource for front-line workers like Moore. Under tremendously challenging circumstances, Moore and her co-workers put quality for the individuals in their care as the
top priority as they work hard to address the most basic needs.
“We have a home with 11 individuals, some with multiple disabilities,” Moore said. “There are three staff for daytime and evening shifts and two staff for the overnight.
Our individuals have a range of functioning levels, but we have to help them get up in the morning, clean, dress and feed them, assist them with using the bathroom. We try to take them out to activities
in the community because they really enjoy that, and it also helps to build awareness and understanding about special needs by people in the community.”
“I really love going to work because it feels like family,” Moore
Moore
said. “A lot of the individuals don’t have family coming to see them and sometimes we’re all they have.”
Despite the dedication of Moore and her co-workers, OPWDD’s
lack of resources make caring for individuals even more difficult.
“Staffing is a continuing challenge,” Moore said. “Every week, we have mandated overtime to cover shifts and that leads to more issues because people are always tired.”
“We are always short-handed and that means some of the community outings have to get canceled, it means people are overworked and that’s just not good,” Moore said. “Even having staff from neighboring
homes fill in creates upheaval because the individuals get nervous when they don’t know the people.”
Seven years into her career, Moore knows that this work is her calling. While she is optimistic about her future, she notes that the perpetual short staffing has affected morale among her co-workers and there
are concerns about the Cuomo administration’s commitment to ensuring necessary state-operated services.
“Job security worries people when we should really be focused on helping the individuals experience better lives,” she said.
April 2016
The Work Force 9
“We are always short- handed and that means some of the community outings have to get canceled, it means people are overworked and that’s just not good.”
“The safety of our staff is a major concern. We have a lot of individuals being transitioned from locked settings, which means we need more staffing in the houses with these more difficult individuals. Now is when we should be opening more state-run houses and adding additional services such as respite care. Parents know the workers in the state-run homes are well trained and dependable. This is where parents want their children with disab”ilities going once they’re no longer able to care for them at home.
— Nilda Palau-Lopez, Hudson Valley DDSO Local President