Direct Support Professionals

Larry Hopper Duvall Homes

DSP Retires After 25 Loyal Years at Duvall Homes

September 19, 2018 – “A rock star – that’s how I feel. What job can you go to every day and feel like you’re a rock star on stage?”  Those are the words Larry Hopper from DeLand said at his retirement party last Friday after working 25 years for Duvall Homes.

Steven DeVane and Larry Hopper
Duvall Homes’ CEO, Steven DeVane, congratulates DSP Larry Hopper for his 25 years of service.

Originally from New York, Hopper first came to work for Duvall as a Resident Assistant in 1990. The personal caregiver position is now referred to as Direct Support Professional (DSP). DSPs provide non-medical care and services to people with special needs in their home and in the community. After working at Duvall for a respectable 11 years, Hopper left in 2001 to run a small engraving and decal business. Three years later, facing the typical stresses that come with owning a business, he decided to return to the job that gave him the most satisfaction. Hopper worked 14 more years for Duvall.

“The moment you walk in the door, residents cheer your name out loud. You feel like a rock star!” said Hopper with his large, infectious smile. “And they notice every single detail about you. ‘I like your shirt Larry. Did you get a haircut?’ Where else do you get that kind of daily welcome?”

CakeLarry is going to be missed by many – by the Duvall residents for sure, but also by fellow DSPs and Group Home Managers. He’s part of a shrinking workforce, and an aging generation that didn’t think twice about taking on a challenging job to benefit someone else in the community.

“The DSPs at Duvall are our front line. We depend on them to provide the very best care for our residents, as well as keep our group homes clean, organized and safe,” said Sherrie Moore, Group Home Manager. Moore is one of seven supervisors who help manage Duvall’s 15 group homes and 62 DSPs. Maintaining residential care plans for close to 100 residents makes the DSP position an integral role in Duvall’s Support Team. DSPs ensure the health and welfare of the residents are priority one. “They help to keep the whole team on the same page with respect to the record keeping and progress of each individual,” added Moore.

Direct Support Professionals
Larry with fellow DSPs (Joel, Ed and Cynthia) who, collectively, have worked 78 years for Duvall Homes!

“Larry is only one of several DSPs who have worked at Duvall for more than 20 years,” said CEO Steven DeVane.  “DSP Phyllis Griffith, who retired not too long ago, dedicated more than 30 years of her life to Duvall. It can be a challenge to find younger folks to make that same commitment the way past generations did. This has become a crisis not just for Duvall Homes, but for providers like us across the state of Florida, and the nation.”

DeVane has worked continuously with state legislators for the past two years to temporarily modify hiring mandates because age, experience and other criteria practically stifled all hiring. Things are looking much brighter now because of his advocacy.

DeVane and his executive staff know full well that the probability of a new hire remaining with Duvall for 25 years, like Larry, is pretty low. What they can promise is that young hires, who make even a short-term commitment to work for Duvall, will receive valuable training and priceless experience that develops the life skills of critical thinking, effective communication and self-awareness,

Group Home Manager Danisa with Larry
La Gerente de Hogar de Grupo Danisa Taska felicita a Larry Hopper DSP, acaba de jubilarse después de dedicar 25 aňos de su vida a cuidar a personas con necesidades especiales. [Danisa Taska, congratulates Larry Hopper.]
“New hires at Duvall Homes develop skills that may not be developed in other jobs,” said Christina Negri, Duvall Homes’ Director of Human Resources. “Being a DSP for a minimum of one-to-two years can be a fantastic stepping stone; it can lead to work in other healthcare or customer-service related fields.”

The qualifications for, and benefits of, being a Direct Support Professional are being messaged on various hiring platforms to reach high school grads, age 21 and over, who are looking for work or looking to change their career. But, digital and print ads, social media posts and career fairs are not enough. Duvall Homes depends on parents, grandparents, teachers, guidance counsellors and other community mentors to instill the life-long value in making a short-term commitment to care for people with developmental disabilities. This way we can all be a part of retaining a crucial workforce for a population that depends on it.

Duvall Homes continues to accept applications for Direct Support Professionals and other support specialist positions for their Opportunities Enrichment Day Training Center. For more information, visit DuvallHomes.org/Careers or contact Christina Negri at cnegri@duvallhomes.org or 386.734.2874 x127.

#ImInspired

“I’m proud of the work I do. If I could share with others one thing, it would be not to underestimate what those in our care are capable of doing… much more than you think.” – DSP Sanjuana (left), a Duvall Employee for 12 years, with Lyle.

 

 

West Volusia Beacon: Rock Star Retires

Duvall Receptionist Retires After 33 Years

Phyllis Griffith Retires

Posted by Lisa Habermehl

Other Duvall News

Duvall's Group Homes

Hurricane Preparedness

September 7, 2018 – As we enter the peak of hurricane season, we are once again reminded of the generosity and care of our families and community.  Together, they helped to provide the much-needed support to obtain and install automatic generators at our group homes this past year.

“Thanks to our parents, families and community, we now have peace of mind that we can maintain power for refrigeration, laundry and lighting. Maintaining our group homes at a comfortable temperature can help us avoid serious problems,” said Marsha Shankleton, Duvall’s Chief Operating Officer.

We also send an extended thank you to the dedicated staff at Duvall Homes. Our professionally trained team of caregivers ensures that each of Duvall’s Group Homes maintains a heightened level of disaster preparedness throughout the year due to the fragility of those in our care. #TheDuvallDifference

Read more in past news: DuvallHomes.org/A-Special-Holiday-Thank-You and DuvallHomes.org/Newsletters. Other Duvall News: DuvallHomes.org/News-Events.

National Hurricane Center  #HurricaneSrong

Join Our Inspiring Team

Posted by Lisa Habermehl

ADT Vocational Training

Duvall Homes’ 2018 Spring Newsletter

May 25, 2018 – Inside Duvall Homes’ 2018 Spring Newsletter, you’ll once again be connected with the inspiring stories that bind our community together. Stories like Building Opportunities That Impact Our Community give insight to the tangible benefits that result when business partners get involved with the work we do.

Duvall Homes NewsletterArticles like The Duvall Difference provide an overview of the services and personal care Duvall residents receive from Direct Support Professionals and their Support Team every single day and of a father’s discovery of these services after putting the future care of his son above all else.

We also like to highlight community news and events in each issue. Our Spring Fling; service from high school and college students; the retiring of an employee after 37 years; and the Tim Tebow Foundation‘s very special Night To Shine event are just some of the newsworthy events that took place this past quarter.

Many of our friends, families and business partners have just received Duvall’s 2018 Spring Newsletter in the mail. You can enjoy it too by clicking on the cover to flip through the digital version.

Please share the many heartwarming stories with your own family, friends and colleagues. You’d be surprised who can benefit from the many different perspectives shared. Let us know what inspires you most about this issue at ImInspired.org. #TheDuvallDifference

To receive periodic e-news from Duvall, sign up here.

Other Duvall News & Events

Duvall Homes DSP

Keeping DSPs in the Conversation

December 19, 2017 – Keeping Direct Support Professionals in the Conversation. Recently, Duvall Homes’ CEO, Steven DeVane, met with the Executive Director of Florida’s Center for Nursing, Mary Lou Brunell, to discuss Florida’s healthcare sector and its workforce shortages.

Florida Healthcare Workforce

Housed at the University of Central Florida, the HWRI (Healthcare Workforce Research Initiative) provides healthcare occupational data to facilitate research and grant proposals that support a healthier Florida. Comprised of three research centers – Center for Healthcare Providers; Center for Nursing; and Center for Allied Health – the HWRI contributes to better healthcare workforce strategies, and DeVane sits on the committee to represent the voice of DSP (Direct Support Professionals), a profession essential to providing critical care and services to individuals with Developmental Disabilities in our state.  To learn more, visit the following web pages:

Sustaining A Vital Workforce

Campaign for Action and Florida Center for Nursing.

Residential Services at Duvall Homes

Posted by Lisa Habermehl
Duvall Homes I'm Inspired #iminspired