Name: Fraicis Osei
Program: 26 – North City/Alpha House
Job Title: Direct Support Professional (DSP)

Can you explain your job title a little bit more in depth? What does a DSP do?

“I’ve been with the company for almost 18 years. Being a Direct Support Professional, I assist clients with their Activities of Daily Living, or ADL’s. This entails anywhere from grocery shopping, doctors’ appointments, to assisting clients with items they can’t do themselves. I am also responsible for general housekeeping during my shift.
I’ve been working the night shift lately and the first thing that I do when I get to the house are bed checks. I make sure that everyone is comfortable, safe and asleep. If there is any noise in the room of a client, I will make sure everything is okay. Some clients like to fall asleep with background noise. I also have a client who wears a C-PAP to bed that I have to make sure that it is on and working throughout the night along with doing bed checks every 2 hours.

I have one client who gets up at 6:00AM for his morning smoke. He goes into the garage and I watch him because if I don’t, he will eat all of the food out there. He is usually done with his smoke by 6:15/6:30, and at that point, he comes back into the house. Usually by this time, I have other clients awake and getting into their morning routine, such as showers, brushing teeth, getting the correct coordination for clothing, and breakfast. The morning staff arrives around 7:00AM and provide the clients with their medications and we share reports on what happened the night before.”

Out of everything that you did on your last shift, what was normal or typical? Was there anything uncommon about your shift? 

“Everything was rather normal on this shift. The program manager came in early because one of the clients was supposed to leave the house for an appointment and the manager was going to assist with that. Nothing was uncommon about the shift. It was a quiet night.”

How do you make sure that you show a deep profound respect towards the clients that you work with?

“When I help the client in the bathroom for assistance during their shower, I have to assist them with the soap and shampoo. If I don’t, sometimes they will use the whole container! I always give them privacy when assisting in any aspect. I knock on the door before entering, giving any instructions that they may need in a positive manner, regarding how to clean themselves. It is such a personal aspect of someone’s daily routine and I always want to make sure that I keep their respect and dignity in check at all times.”

If I could talk to some of your clients, what would they say are the ways that you do show respect through the SA Values?

“I always respect the client’s decisions. I don’t smoke, but I will assist my client with making sure that his needs are met. I will open the garage door and give space so that I don’t inhale the smoke but remain close enough that we can have a conversation. Just being able to provide that support to him and making sure I show the SA Values in my work is important.”

That’s all for now!
Anna  

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