News and notes from Imagine! and the Imagine! Foundation.

Good News Friday!

Jan-29-2021

Employees

An Imagine! staff member, who wishes to remain anonymous, shared this appreciation of people working in Imagine! Host Homes, Companion Homes, and Family Caregiver Homes.

Bon Bons are NOT an Option

Working for our Residential Services Department keeps me directly connected to those providing care to Individuals in our Host Homes, Companion Homes, and Family Caregiver Homes. At this moment we have 92 Provider Homes! They are spread across this greater-north-of-Denver region.

These providers are with Individuals receiving services 24/7, and are especially challenged during these months of Covid-19 modifications. Not only are they providing round-the-clock care, they are cooking meals, cleaning their homes, completing online and live trainings, submitting forms and paperwork, paying bills, and trying to maintain positive daily routines for their own household residents/families, which may include a brand-new baby, a grandmother, or five screaming children (Yes…we have a Host Home Provider with fvie kids of her own!). When an Individual is ill, providers go through all of the proper channels in getting proper care. Remember that provider I just mentioned with five kids? One of her Individuals just had major surgery, requiring multiple trips to the ER, hospital, and care center. Our conversations, both electronically and by phone, have been meaningful and give each of us a chance to laugh, ask questions, and share moments that can make us both cry- either due to sheer joy or overwhelming stress. I cannot tell you how many times a provider has called me just to vent- usually about the demands I am placing on them- and how we end our conversations with, “As soon as Covid-19 is over, we must sit together and sip a bottle of wine…….”

During this modified services phase of our Imagine! lives, providers have had to help their Individuals adjust to losing all routines and not going out- not getting those “I need a Taco Bell taco RIGHT NOW!” needs met. Those Individuals receiving services from Imagine! who are employed have not been able to go to their jobs- which were both an opportunity to learn/earn and a social experience. Those who enjoyed attending services with Imagine! such as Art Classes, Library visits, training programs…the list goes on and on…may have lost that outlet. Many Individuals struggle with changes in daily routines- we ALL do- but when coupled with a processing disorder, results can be disastrous!

So, I wanted to just take a moment to ask to you have Our Host Home, Companion Home, and Family Caregiver Providers in your hearts and minds as 2020 has ended and 2021 is here. Sick Leave is rarely an option for a Home Provider; much like public school teachers, scheduling a moment away by bringing in a Respite Provider is work- absolute work, so many opt to just find ways to circumnavigate asking for help and just power through, sacrificing personal comfort. Yes, they may have forgotten to complete that Absorb training called “Confidentiality”….okay, maybe a reminder has been conveniently ignored for five months…but it isn’t like they were watching Ellen and eating bon-bons (Does ANYONE eat bon-bons anymore?).