Recruiting, Selecting, and Retaining Direct Service Workers to Provide Self-Directed HCBS
Lesson Review
1. Listen
2. Read
In this lesson you learned how:
- Being a DSW is a demanding job. Stress can lead to burnout.
- Resilience is important to wellness during periods of chronic stress.
- People can become more resilient by considering the factors of resiliency discussed in this lesson.
- Mindfulness is a practice that helps us stay in the present. These techniques can improve mood, increase positive emotions, and decrease anxiety.
3. Scenario
Roberta noticed that her DSW Aisha wasn't acting like she usually did. Her work performance was also suffering. Roberta was worried about talking to Aisha but decided that she would talk to her. She told Aisha that she was concerned because she was coming to work late and seemed distracted while she was at work. Aisha told Roberta that there were some things in her private life that were challenging. She also mentioned that sometimes she felt frustrated at work because she wasn't always sure what Roberta wanted. She was able to deal with that better when things weren't also stressful at home. Roberta decided that she needed to take action.
Roberta was concerned about asking too much about Aisha's private life. She didn't ask too many questions, but she told Aisha about a community organization where she might be able to get some help. Roberta also thought about all of the things that she had learned about being a good supervisor. Roberta identified some areas where she could improve. Roberta knew that she didn't give much feedback - good or bad. She knew she needed to make an effort to be better about this. Roberta listened to Aisha's feedback about being unsure about Roberta's expectations. Roberta thought back to her realistic job preview and her job description and decided that she would go through them again with Aisha. That way they would both be on the same page about Aisha's job duties. She set up a regular time to check in with Aisha about her job and to give her feedback. Roberta is feeling hopeful that things are improving and that Aisha will keep working.