Direct Support Professional PART-TIME

Austell - GA Overview
Salary Range: $12.00 - $12.00 Hourly
Position Type:
Part Time

Job Shift:
Morning

A Direct Support Professional (DSP) provides an array of services which are necessary to support individuals and their families with needs related to disabilities, mental health and aging to live in community settings and provide services of fellowship, care and protection. Such services may include household work related to care such as meal preparation, bed-making, laundry and other similar services. Supports are individually planned and tailored to meet the specific needs of the individuals we service.

This may include working at multiple homes, and locations. Direct Support Professionals are expected to maintain professionalism and provide excellent customer service at all times.

• Interact with Individuals
• Talk to and interact with individuals respectfully; knowledge of and sensitive to individual verbal and nonverbal communication.
• Provide guidance and assistance in order to engage individuals in activities in the home and community in ways that are relevant and in tune with individual choices, interests, and concerns. Activities may include going to sporting events or out to eat, shopping, swimming, and participating in exercise groups or church groups and other social activities as determined by an individual's choices.
• Work with individuals to discover and pursue personal goals in keeping with their Individual Support Plans. (ISPs)
• Guide and assist individuals in learning activities of daily living skills (ADLs) both in the home and in the community.
• Support individual relationships with family members, friends, guardians and other advocates. This support may include, but is not limited to correspondence and visits with family and friends and coordinating attendance at special events such as vacations, funerals, weddings and other celebrations.
• Support each individual's personal and family religious belief system in the home and facilitate individual's attendance at religious services according to individual's choice, if applicable.
• Interact appropriately and professionally with individuals with regard to attitude, self-control, self-discipline, cooperation, tone of voice, language usage, and in other areas as needed.
• Properly care for the house, furnishings and individual's clothes and assist with making television, radio, and movie choices according to individual interests.
• Transport individuals safely while following all guidelines pertaining to regulatory standards.
• Support Individual Health and Well-Being
• Read and follow each individual's ISPs and protocols.
• At the beginning of each shift, read individual is Communication Log, going back to your previous shift in order to be aware of individual's status and activities.
• Make entries in Communication Log as appropriate.
• Provide guidance and assistance to individuals in their personal hygiene and appearance in the areas of tooth brushing, bathing, toileting, hair care including seeking/following guardian permission/direction with regarding to haircuts and hair coloring, care and selection of clothing and dressing appropriately for weather conditions.
• Be attentive to individual's medical issues and alert supervisors and/or nurses to medical issues and/or changes in individual's health and/or problems relating to medication or medical equipment. Also alert day program staff and guardian as requested.
• Follow medical orders and directions from medical staff and supervisors concerning individual's health issues, treatments and therapies and be attentive to details in those orders and directions.
• Accompany individuals to medical appointments and to Urgent Care and the Emergency Room as needed. Facilitate communication of information between individual and medical staff. Assist individual participation in medical exams.
• Assist individuals in and out of the bathtub, the van, furniture and in other situations as needed. This may involve awkward, heavy lifting. Use a mechanical lift or other lifting methods for moving individuals who require them.
• Carry Out Safety, Meal Preparation and Cleaning Procedures
• Safety and Emergency Response: follow all policies, procedures and training related to safety and emergency response.
• Assist individuals in evacuation drills and emergencies in the home and in the community; this may include lifting and/or carrying individuals who are on ambulatory, non-compliant or for other reasons unable to move to safety.
• Clear walkways, fire exits and driveways of snow and ice as needed.
• Know how to use fire-related equipment such as extinguishers and alarms as trained.
• According to the individual's ISP, assist them with the appropriate adaptive equipment.
• Be familiar with all medical equipment used in the home including mechanical lifts and lifting methods.
• Meals, Food Handling and Preparation
• Assist individuals with meal planning, shopping for groceries, food preparation, and cleanup as needed.
• Prepare meals following…