Certified Trainers Blog

 Archive for the ‘Cheryl Rohlf’s Posts’ Category

Today for our Leadership Traning our team took a trek up to the hill to visit the Thoen Stone.  We talked about change, stress health and wellness.   It was a beautiful day!

http://pie.midco.net/treasuredude/thoen.html

Amy

So here is to raising your EP high and moving forward!

If you are an avid news watcher or merely follow the water cooler talks, you most surely have heard the story about Akian.

Teacher/Bully: How My Son Was Humiliated and Tormented by his Teacher and Aide

I have watched this video a couple of times, as snippets in news coverage and such. Each time I find my mind heading in yet another direction: as a parent I cannot imagine such an event happening to my child. I wonder if it greatens when your child has a disability? Would I be content with an apology? I find my mind tossing on my employer hat and thinking could this happen in my agency, town? Knowing a little on how HR operates, how easy it is for other’s to judge without knowing the rules/laws. How would I feel as the boss who did not know this was occurring? A whirlwind of other thoughts rush over me, wonder if I have ever been audio taped, could I audio tape another person? Then I rush to my absolute intrigue with Autism specifically. I have always professed that people who are non verbal may very well (most likely do) under stand every word spoken. Did this teacher believe this or just not care? Or what if, just what if.. the video is not real?

Such an array of thoughts, so many stances that could be taken. At the end of the day it only reinforces the fact that as direct support professionals we are given such a responsibility when supporting  people.

So take a moment and look at all those great DSP’s around you and say thank you.

Call them what you will; group home managers, direct support  supervisors, middle management, site supervisors or team leaders.  The list goes on. You know who you are. You  spend hours tweaking, mulling and updating employee schedules.

All supervisors must schedule their employees to maintain  coverage, but I would challenge anyone OUTSIDE the field to master a typical  group home schedule!

As I sit each month proofing, creating or mulling over a schedule,  Carl gently shakes his head and says “there must be an easier way.”  After what seems like a bazillion software  products previewed, I still can’t find a better way.

It has been about a year since I gave the Therap Module a whirl  and I will try again.  Just in case, in
the spirit of networking, I wonder what you are all doing out there?   I would love to see some templates of what
others are doing, as well as some of your standard operating procedures.  So send me your thoughts!

http://www.therapservices.net/trainers/contact/

Back to schedules

Cheryl

Recently while working to unleash the health tracking module in our agency I learned a great story about an employee.   Apparently I need to thank Therap for helping her find her way to South Dakota!

Meet Jacq.

Here’s her story:

“Two years ago I was talking to a friend who resides here in Spearfish. After telling him the kind of work I was doing back in Minnesota, he told me about NHTC. I wasn’t thinking of moving here at that time. Then in August of 2010 my husband and I decided to relocate to the Black Hills. By that time I had forgotten the name here (NHTC). However, I remembered this conversation enough to research the Black Hills for work with people who need support. I was using Therap back in Minnesota, so through Therap I was able to see who in South Dakota was using the system and found NHTC.”

Jacq is employed with Northern Hills Training Center as a direct support professional.  She was recently nominated the agency’s Blue Diamond Award winner, where staff are  recognized for  a job well done.

Thank You Therap for helping Jacq find her way to Northern Hills Training Center.

Cheryl

How can we recognize someone’s efforts that will have a sincere meaning to them?  That is the question that plagues my mind lately.  I noticed Anna blogged last week about the upcoming DSP nomination recognition contest sponsored by ANCOR.

As we here at NHTC ready for DSP recognition week also,  we are evaluating what makes for meaningful recognition.  This brings up  a heated debate in this little corner of the state.

So help me out Therapites!  Poll  your DSP’s how do they want to be recognized for all their efforts?    I really want to know. Without a doubt or question, without the direct work force we would not exist- so if we are going to do it, let’s do it right!

March is disability awareness month- this video was shared with a member of our team- thought it worth sharing with you all too!

Johnny

The word itself has never really appealled to me- yet the meaning is so simple & profound.

35 years

MISSION
TO ENHANCE LIVES AND ACHIEVE DREAMS
VALUE
WE WILL MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE IN THE QUALITY OF EACH LIFE WE SUPPORT
VISION
TO BE THE AGENCY OF CHOICE

http://www.nhtc.org/About%20Us/index.php

Looking forward to the 35th annual awards banquet this weekend!

As I rustle over my desk preparing to be gone for the upcoming Therap Conference, I realize I have neglected my duties by not getting my blog done for May.  Good thing Allison is new at this mom thing for human puppies or who knows the consequences.

Looking forward to seeing all the Therapians at the conference.  Plenty of ideas and thoughts to toss out and hope they stick to the  “list of to do’s” for  Therap.

Bonnie, bring your laptop- we need to discuss our farming loyalties.

Cheryl

Sometimes decisions we make as support providers are so complex and intense,  yet we fold them up and toss them in a box- giving far too  little thought.

Thinking specifically on how we determine where and with whom people live. When I contemplate the different life experiences that people supported have lived, I think from the two extremes.   College of Direct Support has a course on the history of disabilities where it reviews the horrors once  lived  in an institution, extreme ONE.  To  an article I read some time back in the Colorado Gazzette about young men living in their own apartment,  extreme  TWO.  So many factors to equate, funding, resources, desires, availability and the list goes on and on. 

It is easy to identify how much money to we have, what resources in staff do we have and what type of living quarters are available; but how to you determine  someone’s desire? 

I am extremely curious on how all you other providers determine who will live where and with whom.  Share  your all time favorite success story and/or the one story you wish you could re-write for someone.