Ep. 35: The Impact of Direct Support Professionals

We recognize the hard work that goes into being a Direct Support Professional (DSP). But it's a great career for those who have compassion and want to improve the lives of others. We just celebrated DSP Appreciation Week and Janet Griffiths nominated her daughter's DSP, Marquita, to be recognized for the 20 years she's helped Lori and their family. And Jayme Jurkovac joins host Scott Light to share some of the great benefits DSPs get if they choose to work at Boundless and we are hiring. 

Episode Transcript

Scott Light (00:02):
Welcome everyone to Well-Being a podcast brought to
you by Boundless. Boundless is anonprofit that provides
residential support, autismservices, primary health care,
day programs, counseling and awhole lot more to children and
adults. Our mission is to builda world that realizes the
boundless potential of allpeople. I'm your host, Scott

(00:22):
Light. So there is a week, everySeptember that is designated
nationally as Direct SupportProfessional Appreciation Week.
And we are joining in thatrecognition and celebration for
this very episode. DSPs are theheart and soul of supports for
people with disabilities. Let'sbring in two people who know
this firsthand. Janet Griffithsis a mom, and her daughter Lori

(00:47):
lives in a Boundless residentialhome. She's joining us on Zoom.
And Jamie Jurkovac is thegeneralist for people and
culture here at Boundless, andshe's with me here in our studio
on the campus. Welcome to youboth.

Janet Griffiths (00:59):
Thank you.

Jamie Jurkovac (01:00):
Thank you.

Scott Light (01:00):
Janet, I'd love to start with you. Would you tell
our listeners about the DSP, hername is Marquita, who helps take
care of your daughter, Lori?

Janet Griffiths (01:09):
Yes, Marquita is a very special person. She's
very hard working. And she caresabout the girls a lot, which
really helps. And she'd beenwith her for 20, over 20 years
now. Lori comes home from work,and she gives me a call every
day, and Marquita is there toget her all ready for the next

(01:34):
day. And she gets her supper forher, and she's a very good cook.
So that's always good. And shetries to get Lori to do as much
as she can on her own. But ifshe needs extra help, she's
there to provide it. Like doinglaundry. Lori's pretty much can
do that on her own now, exceptshe has trouble hanging things
up and folding things. SoMaquita will give her help

(01:54):
there. It's just kind of like amember of the family really,
because she's been with us solong.

Scott Light (01:59):
Jamie, let me come to you. DSPs, as you well know,
they are many things;caregivers, teachers, mentors,
confidants and so much more.
Tell us about their roles hereat Boundless.

Jamie Jurkovac (02:09):
Yeah, so we have a couple different roles for
DSPs. We have supported livingfacilities, we have group homes,
we have day programs and stufflike that. So, our Direct
Support Professionals reallyhelp with the day to day
well-being of the individualsthat we serve. Anywhere from
helping, you know, to take themgrocery shopping, cooking those

(02:32):
meals, helping with cleaning,helping them get ready for the
day, bringing them to and fromwork or to and from school. And
also fun things too. Taking themto the zoo, taking them to
movies, going out to dinner,going out for coffee.

Scott Light (02:48):
Let's expand on that a little bit, because DSPs
truly bring that Boundlessmission to light, that is
building a world that realizesthe boundless potential of all
people. So they do enableindependence, teaching new
skills and encouraging that fullcommunity participation, right?
Can you talk about that a littlebit more?

Jamie Jurkovac (03:06):
All of our individuals that we serve have
the right to make their owndecisions, they can decide what
they want to eat, what they wantto do, how they want to spend
their money. So with the DirectSupport Professionals, they're
there to help enable them tomake those decisions and do the
things that they want to do.
Whether that is going to the zooor going to a football game or
going out to the park. They'rereally there to help support our

(03:29):
individuals.

Scott Light (03:33):
And Janet, can you pick up on that a little bit
about that independence, andtell us how Marquita tries to
bring those skills into Lori'sday to day, into her world?

Janet Griffiths (03:45):
Well, Lori needs a lot of prompting to get
motivated to do anything. AndMarquita is there to do that.
And she's got her prettyindependent for bathing and
stuff. She needs help washingher hair and stuff like that.
But things like that she nevercould do before that she can
now, so. Also, Marquita makessure she always looks nice. She

(04:06):
gets her hair cut and gets newclothes when she needs them,
things like that.

Scott Light (04:11):
What other challenges may come to mind
Janet, that Marquita has helpedLori with. You were talking
about hanging up the clothes andthings like that. And it doesn't
necessarily have to be maybe onthe daily living side but maybe
some things that have takenmonths or maybe even years maybe
some of those longer rangegoals.

Janet Griffiths (04:32):
Well, one of the biggest problems, Laurie
says she doesn't like to ask forhelp. So getting her to ask for
help has been a big thing. Andof course Marquita is always
there to lend a hand and keepsher entertained but one of the
biggest challenges was duringthe pandemic when she couldn't
come home. Like every otherweekend she comes home and

(04:54):
holidays. She's here on holidaysand just keeping her busy during
that time was a real challenge,and she did a great job.

Scott Light (05:02):
Janet, are there some other longer range goals
that Marquita works with, withLaurie?

Janet Griffiths (05:09):
Well, just getting to do more for herself
all the time. Doing laundry,it's a big thing. She takes the
sheets off her bed and gets thelaundry started and all that.
She needs help getting them backon, but. And she's not real good
at cooking and things like that,she has trouble with her
coordination and stuff.

Scott Light (05:26):
Let me do this. I want to bring another voice into
our conversation here becauseBoundless' own Hope Johnson.
Hope was recognized as DSP ofthe year for Ohio by ANCOR. So
Hope got to travel to a bigcelebration banquet. I mean, the
whole nine yards. And in one ofour previous episodes, she

(05:46):
talked about that recognition.
But most importantly, she talkedabout her passion for this job.

Hope Johnson (05:51):
It's very humbling. That is the word,
everyone's asked, you know,"What's this feel like? What's
it feel like?" It's humbling. Idon't do this for the
recognition. I don't do this forthe honor. You know, the awards.
So to be picked among, I thinkit was over 300 people, was a
pretty big deal for me. And itwas amazing. I, we went to

(06:12):
Chicago. It was humbling. I wasone of the first, I think I was
the fourth person to accept myaward. So I got to sit and
listen to everybody else'sstories. And everyone's, you
know, what they do and how muchthey affect everyone's lives.
And I cried. I cried so much.
And everyone kept saying, Wow,you're, you're crying. I was
like, yes, because this is so,it's so humbling. It was, I took

(06:34):
a step back. And it also gave methe fire again to keep going,
so.

Scott Light (06:42):
That's great.

Hope Johnson (06:42):
Yeah.

Scott Light (06:43):
Congratulations again.

Hope Johnson (06:44):
Thank you.

Scott Light (06:45):
So I was sitting right beside Hope, right here in
our studio that day. In sittingbeside her I just came away with
how fulfilled she is in workingin this field and working here.
So Jamie, can you talk broadlyabout that, that fulfillment,
that satisfaction and having acareer for DSPs? That where they
really make a difference inpeople's lives.

Jamie Jurkovac (07:07):
Yeah, I think that's one thing that's really
important about this industry isthe fact that you are doing work
to help better other people'slives. So when you go in and you
clock in, it's not so much justclocking in for a mundane day at
the office, you're clocking inknowing that what you're doing
is for the better of someoneelse. So it is extremely

(07:29):
fulfilling, and it's veryrewarding. The work that you're
doing I've never met suchempathetic, caring, genuine
people than I have here talkingto some of the DSPs that work
for us.

Scott Light (07:45):
To that end, Boundless is hiring DSPs and
other frontline caregivers. Howcan our listeners find out more
details?
We have a link on our websitethat offers all of our job
postings. We also are on Indeedand LinkedIn. We are hosting
bi-weekly hiring events at ourCheckrein office that are open
to the public. You can find alisting of all of our jobs at

(08:07):
iamboundless.org/jobs, or youcan email us at
[e-mail].
You know what,Jamie? Since we're talking about
jobs, what are the benefits?

Jamie Jurkovac (08:19):
Yeah, so at Boundless we have extensive paid
time off, six paid holidays ayear, flexible schedules. We
have full-time, part-time,weekend only shifts. We have
wages at the top of theindustry, tuition assistance,
competitive scholarships, dentaland vision are both paid for by

(08:39):
Boundless. We have 401K options,Group Term life Insurance, paid
trainings, a proactive learningenvironment.

Scott Light (08:47):
And Jamie not just a great benefits package, DSPs
really move up here atBoundless, don't they?

Jamie Jurkovac (08:52):
Yes, yes. So we have a lot of what we call
lifers. People who work atBoundless who started off as
DSPs working in the supportedliving homes or group homes. Our
director, actually, of peopleand culture started off as a DSP
and has been with us for over 20years. So, there are a lot of
different roles and a lot ofopportunities for growth here at
Boundless.

Scott Light (09:13):
Jamie, let me follow up with this as well.
Last year, Ohio's Department ofDevelopmental Disabilities
released a report and it wastitled, Technology First and DSP
Workforce Crisis. It actuallylaid out what it called "severe
workforce shortages", tied tothings like retention and pay
and not leveraging technologyenough. And again, this is a

(09:34):
statewide report. Are we stillin crisis in terms of workforce
recruitment across the state?

Jamie Jurkovac (09:41):
Yeah, I think that's one thing that's really
important about this industry isthe fact that you are doing work
to help better other people'slives. So when you go in and you
clock in, it's not so much justclocking in for a mundane day at
the office, you're clocking inknowing that what you're doing
is for the better of someoneelse. So it is extremely
fulfilling, and it's veryrewarding. The work that you're
doing I've never met suchempathetic, caring, genuine
people than I have here talkingto some of the DSPs that work
for us.
I would say yes, I would sayeveryone, especially the
healthcare industry is feelingthose post COVID effects when it
comes to finding employees and Ithink what we're doing as the
people and culture team, myamazing boss Victoria has come
up with a lot of really awesomestrategies to help, just

(10:03):
introduce more people to thisfield. So, I know we plan on
going to a lot of colleges,doing some volunteer work at
high schools just to educate thecommunity that this Direct
Support Professional position issomething that's out there, and
it's something that's an optionfor people. Since, I don't think

(10:23):
too many people know about it.

Scott Light (10:25):
Janet, as we're wrapping up our conversation
here, let me come back to youand Lori with this question,
What would her life be like ifit weren't for Boundless? And if
it weren't for people likeMarquita?

Janet Griffiths (10:38):
Well, I think she would be a very bored
individual. Because, I mean, herparents are getting old, and we
don't do a whole lot of stuff.
So if she was here, she'd justbe sitting around most of the
time. And with Marquita, they'realways out doing something. And
she's got a future to lookforward to.

Scott Light (10:59):
A future to look forward to, that's what we all
want, right?

Janet Griffiths (11:02):
Yes. And it's nice to know that she's with
such a caring person most of thetime. Like I said, she's like a
member of the family, almost.
Yeah, I wish, like I saidbefore, I wish we could clone
Marquita so she was around allthe time because she's so great.

Scott Light (11:23):
Janet, thank you for joining us. And from all of
us here at Boundless tell Loriwe said hello. Okay.

Janet Griffiths (11:29):
I will do that.

Scott Light (11:30):
Jamie, thank you for joining us too.

Jamie Jurkovac (11:32):
Thank you for having me.

Scott Light (11:33):
To our listeners.
Thank you as well and wecertainly want to say to all the
Direct Support Professionals outthere, not only just here at
Boundless, across Ohio, acrossthe country, thank you for all
that you do you are trulyamazing. And again to our
listeners you can be part ofepisodes to come email us your
questions or comments [e-mail]. This
is the Well-Being podcastbrought to you by Boundless.