{"id":120936,"date":"2023-07-29T08:41:39","date_gmt":"2023-07-29T12:41:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=120936"},"modified":"2023-07-29T08:41:39","modified_gmt":"2023-07-29T12:41:39","slug":"miss-rita-when-i-woke-up-there-was-no-one-that-i-knew-the-value-of-what-we-do-is-immeasurable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=120936","title":{"rendered":"\u201cMiss Rita, when I woke up there was no one that I knew.\u201d The value of what we do is immeasurable."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">By Rita Quashie-Smith and Brooke Urda, direct support professionals (DSP) with Emmaus Community of Pittsburgh<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;469777462&quot;:[1224],&quot;469777927&quot;:[0],&quot;469777928&quot;:[1]}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">We support people in the intellectual disability\/autism (ID\/A) community. Many of them have been abused and experienced trauma that most of us cannot imagine. Sometimes they\u2019ve lost parents or have been victims of horrendous crimes. Their experiences have resulted in severe trauma-induced behaviors.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-image-carousel  su-image-carousel-columns-3 su-image-carousel-has-spacing su-image-carousel-has-lightbox su-image-carousel-has-outline su-image-carousel-adaptive su-image-carousel-slides-style-default su-image-carousel-controls-style-dark su-image-carousel-align-none\" style=\"max-width:500px\" data-flickity-options='{\"groupCells\":true,\"cellSelector\":\".su-image-carousel-item\",\"adaptiveHeight\":true,\"cellAlign\":\"left\",\"prevNextButtons\":true,\"pageDots\":true,\"autoPlay\":3000,\"imagesLoaded\":true,\"contain\":false,\"selectedAttraction\":0.007000000000000000145716771982051795930601656436920166015625,\"friction\":0.25}' id=\"su_image_carousel_69f9d6fbaf471\"><div class=\"su-image-carousel-item\"><div class=\"su-image-carousel-item-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Carah-Rita-photo-1-scaled.jpg\" data-caption=\"Direct Support Professional Rita and resident Carah\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-0\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Carah-Rita-photo-1-scaled.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Carah-Rita-photo-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Carah-Rita-photo-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Carah-Rita-photo-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Carah-Rita-photo-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Carah-Rita-photo-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Carah-Rita-photo-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"su-image-carousel-item\"><div class=\"su-image-carousel-item-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Gina-and-BRook-DSP.jpg\" data-caption=\"Direct Support Professional Brooke and resident Gina\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-1\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"539\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Gina-and-BRook-DSP.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Gina-and-BRook-DSP.jpg 539w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Gina-and-BRook-DSP-253x300.jpg 253w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Gina-and-BRook-DSP-300x356.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 539px) 100vw, 539px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><script id=\"su_image_carousel_69f9d6fbaf471_script\">if(window.SUImageCarousel){setTimeout(function() {window.SUImageCarousel.initGallery(document.getElementById(\"su_image_carousel_69f9d6fbaf471\"))}, 0);}var su_image_carousel_69f9d6fbaf471_script=document.getElementById(\"su_image_carousel_69f9d6fbaf471_script\");if(su_image_carousel_69f9d6fbaf471_script){su_image_carousel_69f9d6fbaf471_script.parentNode.removeChild(su_image_carousel_69f9d6fbaf471_script);}<\/script>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Right now, the current PA budget doesn\u2019t include enough funding to adequately maintain the DSP population in the Commonwealth. That means these vulnerable people will not get the supports they so desperately need and deserve.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As DSPs, we are trained and educated as trauma-informed professionals. We know how to re-direct and provide specific care for our clients so they can work through these incidents and survive, literally. One woman I work with had a medical procedure, her family members had to leave to take care of another family member, and when she woke up no one she knew was with her. When we got back to her home, she was trembling and broke down completely. She said, \u201cMiss Rita, I was so scared. I woke up and no one I knew was there.\u201d Rita \u2013 the woman\u2019s DSP \u2013 was the only one the woman trusted to help her through that experience.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">We do not get the support or pay we earn and deserve. We provide nursing assistance, we are often our clients\u2019 only friends and family, and our work is physically and mentally demanding. These people just want to live in their homes and be part of their community. We MUST find a way to support DSPs so they can afford to do this job and help create a meaningful life for all Pennsylvanians!<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">DSPs deserve to be valued and appreciated. We make sacrifices. We have relationships with the people we serve; their families are aging and someone needs to let the family feel confident that their loved ones are in a good, safe place. We have seen so many colleagues leave this professional because they just couldn\u2019t afford it any longer. It\u2019s heartbreaking and infuriating.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To all policy-makers, we say \u2026 Provide a living for the DSPs who are making this happen for these Pennsylvanians and their families. We need a livable wage. We invite you to come see what we do. Unless you are in the actual environment, it\u2019s hard to comprehend what we do. Watch the three-hour process to get our clients ready just to go outside. Experience their extreme behavioral responses to typical life incidences. Maybe then you\u2019d understand why we need to be paid more appropriately.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Says Rita, \u201cI want the best for the people I support. If you care about something other than yourself, you want to do good. That\u2019s why I earned my degree in social work and why I\u2019m a DSP. It\u2019s not just because of the impact I\u2019ve made on others but also that they\u2019ve made on me. Relationships are the most important thing we have in this life.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Brooke adds, \u201cWhat we do is rewarding. We maintain relationships with the people we support. We call them clients, but sometimes we are their only friends and even family. We have are the people who provide consistency, stability in their lives. Every human being deserves that.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Rita Quashie-Smith and Brooke Urda, direct support professionals (DSP) with Emmaus Community of Pittsburgh\u00a0\u00a0 We support people in the intellectual disability\/autism (ID\/A) community. Many of them have been abused &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=120936\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">\u201cMiss Rita, when I woke up there was no one that I knew.\u201d The value of what we do is immeasurable.<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":120963,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,5734],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-op-ed"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/dsps.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120936"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=120936"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120936\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/120963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=120936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=120936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=120936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}