Latest / Life Without a Filter: Practical Strategies for Life After 22 / Episode 11: Building your team in a Self-Directed Adult Service Model

Transcript

Episode 11: Building your team in a Self-Directed Adult Service Model · Life Without a Filter: Practical Strategies for Life After 22

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Hi everyone, I'm Cheryl and welcome back to Life Without a Filter.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: If you're new here, this podcast is all about navigating life after public school ends for our kids with disabilities.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: We'll be talking about services, supports, and the reality of building a meaningful adult life through self-directed programming.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: This has been a rough January in our household that led me to having to take a step away from my podcast and blog.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: For those of you who have been listening since the beginning, in the introduction, I talk about how I am the mom to two amazing young adults and also a very spoiled fur baby.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Well, this month our dog Pippa encountered some health issues that quickly escalated into us receiving a diagnosis of cancer on her larynx, which was impacting her ability to breathe.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: It progressed so quickly that she could no longer eat or drink, and we had to make the excruciating decision to have her pass over the Rainbow Bridge.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: She was a part of our life for almost 14 years, and she was so ingrained into every aspect of my daily life that I have spent the last couple of weeks in a bit of a daze constantly feeling like I'm adrift with this new reality that does not include her.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I thank you for your patience as I am getting back into a new normal kind of routine.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: In this week's podcast, I am going to talk about one of the most important and sometimes overlooked parts of this self-direction process that I am thankful for, and that is building our team.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: Because when you decide to move toward a self-directed model, you're not just choosing a different service option, you're building a small organization around your young adult's vision for their life.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: That means finding the right people, creating strong partnerships, and learning how to stay flexible along the way.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: I am so thankful that we currently have such an amazing group of people and organizations that are a part of Team L.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: So let's get started.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: Parenting can be hard no matter what age or stage you are in.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: But what happens when your child becomes an adult and they will need a lifetime of support?
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host Cheryl and welcome to the podcast Life Without a Filter.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: My goal is to share our not so unique, maybe specific journey as a family navigating the various special education transition services and creating our Sun's self-directed adult program.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: While we don't have all the answers, our hope is that you can learn from our experiences to make your own path a bit smoother.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: We'll also have some special guests providing resources and sharing their personal stories of navigating within the adult disability services world.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Let's embark on this journey together.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: So let's start with why building a team matters.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: When our family first began exploring the self-directed model, we realized pretty quickly that this isn't something you can do alone.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: You need to think of it as setting up a small business, your young adult's life business.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: While in this program model, the participant may be the one running the program.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: In our family, I am taking on the role of CEO, the chief everything officer.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: This includes wearing all of the hats like the HR manager, the scheduler, and the budget officer to name a few.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: The good news is you don't have to have all of the answers on day one.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: You just need to start with the vision.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: If you followed along in earlier episodes or blog posts, you'll remember that creating a vision plan using person-centered planning is one of the very first steps that you should take regardless of which adult service program your child will pursue.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: This is where you take what your young adult wants, their dreams for work, social life, independence, and translate that into a plan that guides everything that comes next.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: That vision then becomes the foundation for the team you'll build around them.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: Now, let's look at who's on your team and talk a little bit about who's typically involved in a self-directed program.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: If your child is still in high school, first you'll work closely with your DDS transition coordinator.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: Once your child has been approved for adult services under DDS, and this usually occurs once they turn 18, you are assigned a DDS transition coordinator to work with your child before they age out of the public school system.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: Their role is to act as a bridge, connecting your young adult, your family, and the school system with DDS adult services.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: They help you explore what's available, learn about funding options, and make sure you have a clear individual transition plan before your young adult ages out of school.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: So for our family's experience, Elle's DDS Transition Coordinator started attending his IEP meetings when he turned 18.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: She also worked with us on exploring CBDS programs and learning more about the self-directed program model.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: She was also the person that we worked with and submitted our business proposal to in order to be approved for the participant directed program.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: Now, when your young adult transitions into adult services, you'll be assigned a DDS support broker or a service coordinator.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: This is a person that you will be working directly with once they have aged out of school, regardless of which adult program model you go with.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: In the participant directed program, they help you develop the Individual Service Plan, or ISP, which takes that big picture vision and turns it into a specific, measurable goals and budgets.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: They are also who you will work with as the bridge between yourself and the fiscal intermediary group, and they will work with you on monitoring and approving your budget expenses.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: We will talk more about budgets in future episodes.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: While DDS plays the primary role in your child's team, don't forget about creating a circle of care.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: This might include family members, trusted friends, mentors, or advocates who know your young adult well and believe in their goals.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: These are often the people who help you stay grounded, help you problem solve, or step in when you need a break.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: When Elle completed his Charting the Life course person-centered plan, he reached out to trusted adults in his circle to ask them for their feedback and support.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, you'll also build your staff team.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: And these are the direct support professionals who will help carry out the day-to-day activities in the plan.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: This is where your role as a program manager really shines.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: You'll create job descriptions, set expectations, and find people whose skills and personalities fit your young adults' needs and interests.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: And it's worth taking your time here because finding the right people makes all the difference.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: Building a strong team also means building a sustainable one for you and for your young adult.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: Families often tell me that the hardest part of self-direction isn't the paperwork, it's finding and managing staff.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: That's why it's so important to know where to turn for help and how to find balance.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: Here are a few resources and strategies that can help.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: First, your local DDS office can connect you with family support centers, broker agencies, and respite options.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: If you are doing an agency with choice self-directed model, your DDS office will supply you with an agency that you will contract with.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: Then that agency with choice is going to help you find staff.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: Family support centers are a great way to connect with other families who are walking the same path.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: They often know the best local providers and can offer advice on staffing and hiring.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: The Ark of Massachusetts often provides webinars and support for caregivers.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: Don't forget about online caregiver communities.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: I belong to a number of Facebook and online groups for families that are navigating self-direction, and this helps you feel like you are not alone.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes on these online caregiver pages, people will often post saying that they are looking for job opportunities to be a PCA or caregiver.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: Some specific things that we did in finding staff were we reached out to our school community.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: Over the years, we have maintained relationships with Elle's teachers and paras.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: We were fortunate that one of his paras was able to continue working with Elle for his evening activities.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: We were also able to connect with retired teachers and educators that were looking to work in the field, and we were able to find a great fit with a retired educator who works with Elle during the school hours.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: Also within the school community, we were able to find college-age students that are education majors that were looking for real-world experiences.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: The only con to this is that they are often short-term positions, but they can help teach flexibility with your young adult.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: I have had other families find caregivers by advertising on sites like care.com.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: One hint that a parent gave me was to make sure you post it for adults slash seniors and not kid care.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, building a team takes time, and adjusting the team takes time too.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's okay to ask for help, to reassign tasks, or to take a short break to prevent burnout.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: You can't pour from an empty cup, and the goal of self-direction is to build a life that works for everyone.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: One of the biggest lessons we learned early on was that flexibility is key.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: Even the best vision plan is just that: a plan.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: Once your young adult program begins, you'll see what works and what doesn't.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: You'll tweak the schedule, shift staffing, or adjust goals.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: And that's not failure, that's the process.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: DDS knows that self-direction is a living, evolving model.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: The flexibility built into the system is there to help you respond to your young adults' growth, interests, and changing needs.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: So don't be afraid to make adjustments.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: Your team, from your DDS coordinator to your family and staff, are there to support you through those changes.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: So as you think about self-direction, here are a few things to keep in mind.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: Start with your young adult's vision by creating a person-centered plan.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's your roadmap.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: Build a strong, balanced team with professionals, family, and friends who share that vision.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: Use available resources like DDS, the Ark of Massachusetts, and your local support centers are great places to start.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: And above all, stay flexible.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: This is a journey, not just a checklist.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining us for this week's episode.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_00: What action steps can you take away from this episode?
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: Share them in the comment section.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: If you liked what you heard, make sure to subscribe, tell a friend, and leave a review.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: Until next week, let's continue to support and honor each other on our unique family journeys.