Story 1
Everyone deserves to be treated
equally
Developmental
Services is one of the most rewarding and challenging fields to work in. I face
many challenges and barriers in my job. To support adult individuals to live a
life of inclusion in a society that is not always inclusive is in my opinion
one of the most important careers a person can take on.
I work in
this field because I believe in that all people have intrinsic value, and
deserve to be treated equally in society. I have supported people that have formally
lived in institutions and now have their own home, as well, I have supported
people newly supported coming from a family setting. No matter how or whom I support I find myself
recognizing my impact on these people’s lives. So when I have a personal crisis
and go into work I am immediately reminded that I am very lucky to live my life
as I choose. I don’t have to fight for my right to have choice, my right to
live with whom I want, to eat when I want etc….
Although we
as support workers do everything we can to enable clients to make their own
choices, oftentimes choices are made for individuals. There are many legitimate
reasons for this, I understand that, but to be stressed about some random thing
in my life generally is not worth the stress. I mean here we support people
that get up every morning and live a life dependent on others, and they are
still smiling, and a coffee can make their day.
Jason
Story 2
People who care
People who care
I chose to work in this field when I was 16 years old. I have had relatives
with special needs on both sides of my family–two aunts who were born in the
50s yet both lived at home against the doctor’s advice. I was able to spend
time with both of them and realize that even though they were
"different" they were family and were special in their own way.
Growing up, I saw both the good and bad of people when out with my aunts
and realized that too many people have a negative view of the
"handicapped". I felt that
people with special needs needed people who care to support them.
My mom took the DSW course and also works in this field. That meant I
was again able to see a broader spectrum of special needs and realized that
being able to support people was something I could do and so well.
Working in this field has allowed me to make connections with people. Meeting
people I supported over 20 years ago, seeing their face light up and talking
about things we did is very heart warming.
This job allows me to do things that I probably would not be able to do
in other occupations and to support people to local events as well as events
elsewhere. I have been fortunate to meet many people who with just one or two
words can make a dreary day brighter.
Tom
Story 3
Remembering Dave
Dave was a
kind gentle man who thrived within the contentment he received from routine and
who appreciated life’s most simple joys: family, food, friends, music, and a
profound admiration towards the Three Stooges only truly understood by those of
the male gender.
Dave and I
shared a love of music. I enjoyed as
much as he did our regular trips to music World where Dave was a loyal customer
who all staff knew by name. Dave loved a
wide range of music and was very up on the latest artists but as we age it gets
harder to keep up with what’s new. Somewhere in the mid nineties, somewhere
between Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, Dave aptly labeled all new music “Big Shiny Tunes”. As I didn’t know the names of most of the new
bands either, this suited us both.
Aside from
Larry, Curly, Moe and the Annual Pearl Avenue Christmas tradition of watching
Mr. Bean struggle to get a turkey off his head; Dave wasn’t much of a TV
watcher. He’d much rather listen to
music and browse through his beloved catalogues, especially the ones his sister
Loretta got from England. Until a
creative and thoughtful staff hoping to broaden his horizons (or find something
new to put on that dam IPP) chose to tape the over three hour long Beatles
Anthology when it was first broadcast on TV.
Several hundred viewing hours later, the tape wearing thin and half of
the staff team secretly cursing me, Dave and I expanded our Music World
repetorie and began to check out other Beatles videos.
I struggled
upon writing this on my use of the word friend, as it is no secret to anyone
that 18 of the 19 years I’ve known Dave has been in the capacity of a paid
staff and separating home and work is a vital survival tool of the trade. But it often takes life’s most difficult
crisis or greatest joys for us to realize that keeping the human in human
services is important and that life often has its own ways of defining human
relationships that cannot be predetermined by policy, procedures, or even our
own minds personal insistence on what those of us in the sector like to call “rational
detachment” For somewhere in-between
holidays and picnics, wax museums, birthday parties, fun times and sad times,
the heart triumphs over the logic of the mind.
This past
year was a difficult one for Dave, despite the fine care received from the staff
at the Roger’s street site but this past year I was also no longer a paid
staff. So on a good day before Christmas when Dave was able to say to me “Are
you my friend?”, I was able to respond and feeling like a giant boulder was
lifted from my shoulders was able to say “Yes Dave I’ll always be your friend”.
This was
originally read as a eulogy by a member who supported this gentleman for many
years. He passed away in the local Peterborough hospital where he was waiting
for several months for a bed in Long Term Care.
Story 4
Why I work in this field
I
started work in this field because I sort of fell into it: Someone in
management recommended that I apply because of my demeanor and abilities with
people of all ages.
Fours
years later I am still here, not so much for employment, but because I have
fallen a little in love with the individuals’ joy for life. Watching and
interacting with those I support at dances, dinners, at the mall, appointments
and day-to-day activities around the home is a fantastic way to help me
remember it's the simple things in life that matter. Friendship, family, music,
laughs, a cup of coffee and a hug. So, yea, I work in the field partly for
selfish reasons (love, joy, and personal reminders of the meaning of life), but
I also work here because I like to see that everyone has an equal right to a
fulfilling and meaningful existence. I want everyone to know that they matter,
sick or healthy, old or young, able or disabled, wealthy or poor. It's who I
am.
Cindy-Ann
Story 5
I would do it all again
I have been working in the developmental Field for 24
years now. When I first started, it was only going to be a summer job. I had no idea that it would ever be a career.
Working in the developmental services field has given me more satisfaction than any other job I have had. I knew after a summer that this would be a challenging career that requires physical mental and emotional energy.
I needed to be more flexible and creative and positive and wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.
The experience has been one I would do all over again even with its challenges. At the end of my workday I know that I have made a difference. And the difference these people have made in my life is something you can’t get in another career.
Judi
Story 6
I love to see people grow and learn
I have been employed with Community Living
Thunder Bay (CLTB) for 25 years and have worked in a variety of settings
supporting people with disabilities. I really enjoy working with a variety of
people.
I have been fortunate to provide supports to
people in the recreation area of our agency. I enjoy watching people trying new
recreation opportunities in the city. I also enjoy connecting people with
similar interests and some have still remained friends. To see the joy on their
faces after trying a new sport, brings satisfaction that I am doing my job.
There have been numerous people that are
still attending community activities and are quite comfortable attending either
on their own or with support staff. I love to see people grow and learn from
trying new things.
I continue to provide supports to people of
all ages and I learn from people each and every day. I absolutely love my job
because I enjoy seeing people have fun and gain new experiences throughout our
journey.
Thank you,
Pina
Story 7
Life lessons
I work in a
home with four of the most interesting young men. Everyday there is a challenge
placed in front of me. These young men have taught me many life lessons.
One of the
most significant moments I recall is the day I became very ill at work. I
fainted in the kitchen and fell to the floor. As I am a diabetic, I was in a
very serious situation.
Jake, a
client I support remembered what to do and called 911. He also held my hand
while on the phone with emergency until the ambulance arrived. I guess the life
lesson I learned here is that support workers are there to ensure the
individuals we support are safe, but to have the roles reversed and have an
individual save my life is incredibly humbling.
Story 8
Keeping a smile on my face
I work at a
very stressful site where it can become extremely difficult to keep a smile on
my face. I have a co-worker who posts a daily note on the bulletin board that
makes you smile almost every time I read it. Having this moment every day
actually changes my mindset. Sometimes it’s a joke, sometimes a positive
affirmation, and on occasion it’s a funny story that happened to them that day.
I have come to count on these posts.
Jamie
Story 9
Lucky to be a support worker
When I
started in this field it was only supposed to be temporary. I was just going to
do this until I got something better. 15 years later I couldn’t even consider
doing anything else. I love my job. I am part of a team that is lucky enough to
work every day to better people’s lives. I mean in what other job can you go to
work and have people excited to see you, and rely on you to make their day
worthwhile.
I personally
feel very lucky to be a support worker in developmental services. I am glad I decided
to stay and I have come to realize I am very good at this.
Shauna
Story 10
What matters in life
I support individuals in a
group home and have been lucky enough to have stayed in the same site for 12
years. Over those years I have supported many different people but there is one
man that I will never forget. He taught me the importance of what matters in
life.
One morning, while rushing
around to complete my morning duties, he said "Sit with me have a coffee
with me" I responded with "in a bit I have to get the laundry done."
His response was "ok, but does the laundry want you to have coffee with
them" it made me stop and smile.
It was at that moment I
realized I needed to spend more time with what matters, not on what can wait.
That man past away a few months later and I will forever be grateful to him for
wanting me to be a part of his life journey and for teaching me a life lesson.
Lauri
Story 11
Why I work in this
field
I live for the "aha" moments. I worked with a young lady who has a hard time concentrating on any one thing at a time. With patience, re-direction, encouragement, we've been able to "stay in the moment" for as long as half an hour. This is a huge deal!
Cheryl
Story 12
A day in the life of a full-time
support worker
My day
always starts with a welcoming good morning, or good afternoon. It’s a great way to start my shifts. The
people I support are always so eager to let me know how welcome I am coming
through the door. Even when I have had a bad day, coming into work actually
changes my mood drastically. When I look in the eyes of the people I support
they are looking to me to make their day successful. Not a day goes by that I
don’t realize or am reminded that my job is dependent on ensuring people live
the best possible life. Our jobs are people’s lives!
Shauna
Story 13
Advocating for a more fulfilling life
The most
important part of my job is to advocate for the individuals I support. I
currently work with an individual that suffers from a bowel disorder. When I
began to support this gentleman I noticed that there were no medical records
for symptoms he had been feeling.
When I
questioned the team and supervisor I was told that his family would not allow
him to see a doctor. He is 45 years old and I felt an internal rage at the
thought of this adult being told he could not see a doctor.
I polled the
team and we started to chart the symptoms. Once we had a few months of data I
requested his parents attend a staff meeting. I presented the data and was once
again told no, he was not to see a doctor.
So I went to the rights committee we have in our agency. After a long
process, this man was finally taken to a doctor. He was diagnosed with colitis.
We have been able to help this man live a much more fulfilling life because of
my advocating.
Mike
Story 14
Courage to lean on a friend
When I got
up that morning the sun was just coming over the trees. I decided to go out and
work in my gardens. Suddenly, my flowers were flooded with glowing sunshine; I
turned and faced the warmth of the sun.
A beautiful
young girl walked very slowly into my backyard. Her head was down and she had
sadness about her. She was very shy but seemed curious too. Her name was
Crystal. She was six years old with long, uncombed hair and wearing a dirty
dress.
I shared
with her what I was trying to grow and how working with the earth makes me feel
good. Crystal seemed to be interested; her eyes grew wide with excitement. I
asked her if she would like to have her own part of the garden and her face lit
up with a smile.
Crystal
started to look at all the seeds that I had. I knew she lived a few houses away
from me so I told her that she could grow food for her family. After a while
she grew hungry and said she was going home to get her lunch. She came back
with a raw potato and ate that. I thought it was a strange thing to have for a
meal. When she went home to get her supper she came back with a handful of raw
pasta, which I thought even odder.
I started
asking her about her parents, she told me that her Dad left and her mother was
sick in bed a lot. I convinced Crystal to let me meet her mother. She took me
to her house and brought me in. Her mother, Sandra, was curled up like a cocoon
in her bed; I saw tears hover beneath her lashes as she lay there.
As I
listened to her story I felt the weight of her depression. Sandra told me that
she feels like her gray blanket is soaked with water lying heavy over
everything, robbing her of energy.
Feelings of sadness and despair are stripping the colour from her life.
I told her
that I thought she was suffering from severe depression and asked her if she
would like my support to help her feel better, without judgement. I mentioned
to her that she would need to see a doctor and with the proper medicine and
therapy such as a support group she could find herself, change her mindset and
bring joy back into her life.
Sandra knew
that I would help with Crystal while she went to appointments. Crystal and I
worked together learning how to grow food and we made some colourful tasty
salads. She was very proud of herself and she started skipping through the yard
with her head held high.
One morning
as I looked out my window I heard laughter and saw Sandra holding hands with her
daughter. There was music of breeze filtering through the flowers and dancing
through the sky!
I got
Crystal and Sandra involved in community kitchens and they learned a lot about
cooking and had a wonderful time together.
Sandra is
now a supervisor of a restaurant and has remarried. She is extremely grateful
and happy that I came into her life. It takes strength to stand alone but
courage to lean on a friend!
Someone who
cares and loves us unconditionally will welcome us into their family forever.
Your life can be what you want it to be. Friends make you smile and encourage
you to succeed.
Diana
Story 15
I love what I do
I
work in this field because it is so rewarding, I love when the people I support
smile when I do something that makes them laugh. I love knowing that everyday I
am making a difference in their life even if it is something small. The men and
women I support are amazing as well I am very fortunate to work with an awesome
group of people. I love what I do and I would never change my career choice. Niki Furioso
Niki
Niki FuriosoNiki Furioso
Story 16
A success story
I support a
person who wanted to go and visit her sister in Toronto. She had never met this
sister. The day she was supposed to leave she became very ill and could not go.
I was able to change the air flight and have her sister come to visit her at
home. She was so grateful and happy it made me feel extremely successful as a
support worker and as a human being in general.
The person I supported passed away a week later and her sister was
incredibly thankful for the visit and finally having the opportunity to meet
her sister.
Jen
Story 17
Why I work in this field
I can sum up in a few
words why I choose to work in this field:
-Compassion
-Empathy
-Inclusion
-Dignity
-Humanity
-Respect
Thank you
Sharon
-Compassion
-Empathy
-Inclusion
-Dignity
-Humanity
-Respect
Thank you
Sharon
:)
