Thirtieth Anniversary Issue on Progress and Priorities in Direct Support

Supplementing Direct Support with Remote Support

Author

Nick Filarelli is the Executive Director at Core Services of Northeast Tennessee. He can be reached at nfilarelli@coreservicestn.com

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A side view of a woman sitting in a recliner, with her smart phone in her right hand while she uses her left hand to scroll the screen. She has short gray hair bangs, is wearing bib black headphones and a black short sleeve tee shirt with large red print.

Donna loves being able to call her friends and family anytime she wants.

Do you love helping people but HATE technology? No worries! There is (and always will be) a need for kind-hearted folks with no interest whatsoever in gadgets, gizmos, or doodads. The great thing about being a direct support professional (DSP) is that the job—like the people we support—is highly individualized, unique from person to person, case to case, and employee to employee. However, for those DSPs who are interested in technology, there has never been a more exciting time as now. I will discuss several ways technology has improved the lives, not only of people receiving services, but DSPs as well.

A woman is smiling and looking directly at the camera. She has a smart phone strapped to her upper right arm. An app is open on the phone. She is working in a Taco Bell restaurant, and wears wire framed glasses, large black headphones, and a black baseball style hat with a white Taco Bell logo. She is wearing a black tee shirt and apron. Both have white Taco Bell logos on them. She is wearing a black watch on her left wrist.

Anita works independently with the help of an instructional App and Bluetooth hearing aids.

If you’ve read Frontline Initiative’s past articles on Enabling Technology (I highly recommend it if you have not) then you are already aware of the benefits. Technology is meant to augment, not replace, the role of DSP. When well used, the technology offers a person that which a human being cannot: true self-reliance. The benefit of technology for people receiving services is well-documented. But there are benefits to DSPs too. Enabling technology opens possibilities, including flexible work schedules, promotion opportunities, and a whole new set of DSP tools to make your job and life easier.

I have worked for the past 20 years with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, beginning my career as a DSP at Core Services in Tennessee. I became interested in enabling technology during our transformation to a “Tech First” organization, and the state of Tennessee’s journey to become a “Tech First” state in providing disability services. This means we promote technology aligned with people’s goals to help them achieve greater independence.

Five years ago, Core Services created an experimental position: the Remote Support Specialist (RSS). The goal was to bring Remote Supports and Services “in house,” as opposed to contracting with an outside entity. There are many great organizations who specialize in providing remote supports: Night Owl, Simply Home, Safe-In-Home, to name a few. There are benefits and drawbacks to in-house RSS versus outside contracting, but for Core Services, it made sense for us to take on remote support because it allowed us to control things like employee hiring, training, and oversight.

A man in his early thirties, looking directly at camera, smiling slightly. He has short dark hair, dark brown eyes and is wearing a blue and white oxford style shirt with a black tee shirt underneath.

Nick Fararelli

Remote Support Professionals

So what is an RSS? For Core Services, an RSS is a third-shift DSP with an aptitude for technology. RSSs complete training and take on additional responsibility in exchange for higher pay. While on duty, the RSS carries a mobile tablet capable of receiving technology alerts from multiple locations- from people we support without overnight staff. In doing so, the RSS provides direct support in the traditional sense to people who need it, and expands their talents for the benefit of others. While folding laundry or mopping the floor, the RSS can simultaneously monitor technology alerts for up to a dozen people. When they get an alert, the RSS can assist remotely or dispatch an onsite responder, depending on the situation.

At Core Services we have learned that problems arising during the night are rare—bordering on non-existent. This means very little extra work is created for the RSS. Yet people receiving remote supports have the peace of mind that comes from knowing that help is only a button push away. Remote support is also a more economical option. The arrangement costs a few extra dollars per hour as opposed to many hundreds or thousands of dollars when contracting with a third party remote support provider.

A man is smiling and looking up and to his right. He is holding an I-pad in his hands. The screen of the I-pad is facing the camera and illustrates the app he uses to open the doors to his house, along with other apps such as Roku. He is sitting in his wheelchair, that is decked out with orange seating. He is wearing a dark baseball style hat backwards, and an orange Tennessee Volunteers tee shirt with a large white T on top and Tennessee across the chest. He is wearing gray sports pants.

Larry uses an app on his I-Pad to open the door to his house.

Benefits

Technology like remote support gives people the option to spend time alone -- during the day and night. This prevents a person having to miss their favorite show just because their housemate wants to go to the store. Remote support can allow people flexibility and opportunities for self-reliance, supplementing the support provided in person by DSPs. Remote support can also give DSPs flexibility. Remote support can also allow them to do the job they love without sacrificing the things that matter: a grandkid’s recital, going home to feed the dog, picking up their children from school, or just walking down the street for a cup of coffee. The person receiving services gets some much-desired alone time and the staff gets a break as well. Everybody wins. When DSPs are given trust and freedom, morale improves. Happy staff = happy people.

For those DSPs who are interested in technology, there has never been a more exciting time as now.

As you might imagine, supporting people more efficiently saves money. Cost savings can be reallocated into other things, like employee compensation. In a field with notoriously high vacancy rates and embattled funding, efficiency is critical for long-term sustainability. Such innovative solutions are one important step towards increased wages, a high-quality workforce, and happy people.

Woman is smiling, while looking down toward her left. She is wearing a pink tee shirt with a left chest logo that is particularly covered. She is holding in her left hand a green call button that is connected to a black lanyard around her neck. She is holding it in front of her up near her chest. She has straight dark hair that is pulled back.

Rosa can call for help throughout the night with the push of a button.

My hope for the future of direct support is that the profession continues its upward trajectory, becoming a highly-specialized, highly-professional, educated occupation with the pay to match (and the pay you deserve).