Stories of Impact
About a year ago, David was exhibiting aggressive behaviors such as hitting and slapping, coughing to the point of vomiting, and was gaining weight. However, due to the diligence of his staff, especially Christina Wendell he has steadily been overcoming these challenges. Christina helped him by developing a meal plan that is not only lower in calories but is supplemented with more fresh foods. She also spends her overnight shifts making meals ahead of time so that the evening staff can still provide David with healthy meals even if it is a busy night. The other staff encourage David to help out around the home, stay active, and try new healthy foods. All of his hard work is paying off. The coughing and challenging behaviors have drastically decreased and he has lost weight. He has become more helpful around the house and is starting chores without reminders from staff. He seems happier and is attending Mainstream Living and Friendship Ark day hab programs. Also, for the first time, he has joined the dance team for ARC of Story County.
Jerry recently told his Team Leader how much he enjoys his staff Aunita Tyler saying, "she works with me a lot more and she helps me a lot more. And, I like her because she'll also help me do my stretches. I like Aunita, she is my favorite staff because she's nice and she
doesn't cause any problems. She has a lot of fun with me and I think we should keep her around." Aunita is great at bringining in crafts for activities such as making ornaments at Christmas. Jerry’s guardian has also noticed how much Jerry likes Aunita and has shared that with both her and her supervisor.
Tori Mathis became a Direct Support Professional without much experience. But she dove right in and started altering the dinner menus at her work location to better fit the members’ needs and their personal health. Tori also worked hard to help turn the River Oak house into a home. She assisted the women in finding affordable decor for their basement family room and set up a home exercise room. Tori has shown great dedication and willingness to learn throughout her short time with Mainstream!
David, in our hourly program, is currently struggling with drug addiction. Nikki Hill, an Assistant Team Leader, has been instrumental in helping David get into daily treatment therapy and got him on a waiting list that accepts his insurance for inpatient treatment. Staff have also helped him establish a new routine and identify ways for him to avoid using when he's not with staff or in group therapy. So far, it is working. David has put on some weight and is looking better.