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Quality Assurance News & Updates

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Protecting yourself & other from heat-related illness

Colorado temperatures are heating up fast and it’s important to protect yourself and the person you support from heat-related illness.

Heat related illnesses are preventable, knowing the signs to look for and responding quickly can prevent a minor illness from becoming a medical emergency. Common heat related illnesses include; heat rash (a skin condition caused by blocked sweat ducts and trapped sweat beneath the skin), sunburn, heat exhaustion (a condition that happens when your body overheats) and the most serious of heat related illnesses heat stroke (occurs when the body can no longer control it’s temperature causing the body’s temperature to rise rapidly and become unable to cool down-requires immediate medical care). To learn more about these types of heat related illnesses, how to identify signs and symptoms and what to do. Follow the link to learn more- Symptoms of Heat-Related Illnesses | Extreme Heat | CDC

Tips to prevent heat related illness:

  1. Stay indoors, in a cool place during extreme heat.
  2. Drink plenty of water. Dehydration is the primary cause of heat exhaustion! High temperatures increase the risk of dehydration.
  3. Apply sunscreen every day. Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours throughout the day especially if you’ve been swimming or sweating
  4. Wear lightweight, light-colored and loose-fitting clothing.

Extreme Heat Infographic:

Extreme heat infographic 2023 interactive.pdf – Google Drive

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National Developmental Disability Professionals Day!

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Happy National Developmental Disability Professionals Day! Observed on July 15 every year, this day is all about recognizing the work done by developmental disability professionals, who often go unnoticed despite providing an amazing public service. Big shoutout to all our staff, providers and families for the amazing services they provide. Read more about this day below.

DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY PROFESSIONALS DAY – July 15, 2024 – National Today

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Quality Assurance News & Updates

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Updates on Case Management Redesign

The final phase of Case Management Redesign and the transition to Case Management Agencies (CMA) will take place July 1st, 2024. For the catchment areas we work with, this phase includes DDRC transitioning to Jeferson County as the CMA serving Clear Creek & Jefferson County and, Adult Care Management, Inc. (doing business as A&I Avenues) as the CMA serving Boulder, Broomfield & Gilpin Couties. We know the transition has not been easy, especially with compounding issues for people accessing long-term care services. The Department of Health Carre Policy and Finance (HCPF) implemented a multi-step plan to stabilize long-term services and supports. This plan includes establishing a case management stabilization fund, addressing IT issues with the new Care and Case Management software and protecting coverage for people accessing services. You can read more about HCPF’s stabilizing LTSS using this link.

As the final CMA’s transition, HCPF continues to work on revising outdated regulations to align with the change to CMA’s. HCPF has postponed the next Medical Service Board review of the revised regulations until August to allow them time to review recommendations they received including recommendations submitted by Alliance (our trade organization). The final piece of case management redesign will be the implementation of a single Colorado assessment which will replace the 100.2. The transition to the new assessment is TBD while HCPF focuses on their stabilization efforts.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your team or the Quality Assurance Department.

Recent News

Amazing Support Inc. Athletes – Aldo and Anthony

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This is a tale of two amazing athletes receiving Support Inc. services – Aldo and Anthony – and how the Special Olympics brought together an entire community. Aldo is kind, caring and willing to try new experiences. Aldo tries his absolute best at every task he takes on, as does his Family Caregiver (FCG). In only a few months she mastered a role that was totally new to her in February. We were happy to learn that Aldo joined basketball with his brother at the Special Olympics since he enjoys being active and being outdoors. Both Aldo and his FCG were excited to try this opportunity, but what they didn’t expect was to find a community.

Aldo and his family heard about Support, Inc. through another Support, Inc. FCG and basketball coach, who also has a gifted athlete – Anthony! Anthony is someone who has worked extremely hard for what he’s achieved throughout his time with the Special Olympics. He has participated in many sports such as basketball and swimming but where Anthony really shined was in weightlifting. During his recent weightlifting season, he received many medals with his team The Rude Dogs. With his hard work and determination, he made it to the championship! This event took place in Grand Junction where his amazing family made an entire weekend of it. Anthony placed 4th in Dead Lift and Bench Press, then ultimately took home the bronze medal! His FCG couldn’t have been prouder of her son than seeing him walk up to receive a medal as the entire crowd cheered him on. Both Family Care Giver’s started Anthony and Aldo in Special Olympics to provide exercise and community engagement. At the same time, they created meaningful bonds for themselves.

Completely by accident and for the first time in the Denver Metro Area Special Olympics, their basketball team formed a Special Olympics group made entirely of Latino families. They realized this was something unique and became a tight-knit group, who decided to stay together through their future Special Olympics seasons.  They call themselves Grupo Familiar Latino. The hard work and dedication that these families pour into their team is inspirational, especially Anthony’s Mom. She has been an amazing coach, making time every week to hold practices and attend every competition as her team’s biggest fan! Her commitment to supporting Anthony really showed in this past championship tournament. The companionship and mentorship that Aldo’s Mom has found through this group has been invaluable to her as a family caregiver new to the DD-waiver. She says for the first time, she doesn’t feel alone in the blessings and struggles that have come with raising Aldo and caring for a child with autism. We are extremely excited to see what the next season brings for these two Olympians!

¡Vamos Grupo Familiar Latino!

 

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New Director of Day Services

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Please join us in welcoming our new Director of Day Services, Brandi Rende! Brandi will be reporting through the Senior Director of Operations, as we work to expand our day services offerings outside of the Metro area and Pueblo. This is a new position, created to help provide community access services to all our individuals in services throughout the front range and not just at our current site-based facilities in Aurora and Pueblo, CO.

With over 20 years of experience, Brandi has dedicated herself to supporting individuals with diverse abilities, empowering them to lead fulfilling and purpose-driven lives.  She is excited to partner with Support Inc. to continue to build a community where individuals can access quality services to support them in living every day to the fullest. Brandi is a devoted wife and proud mother of two amazing kiddos.  Her son Jaxon is 13 and daughter is 11. She spends most of her free time with them, whether they are enjoying time at home or soaking up the sun on a beach vacation, family time is her favorite!

 

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May Host Home Provider of the Month

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Whether it’s a hobby, skill or job, we all know how challenging it can be to learn something new. From learning new policies, practices and procedures to getting to know new people and personalities, it can sometimes be a lot to take in – and Migmar has done just that, rising to the challenge beautifully! Bryan moved in with Migmar and her partner, Zack, just a few weeks ago, allowing her the opportunity to wear the hat of Host Home Provider for the first time. And she’s absolutely crushing it!  

Growing up in a family involved with the IDD community, Migmar began providing respite care as she went through college. She found herself not just being helpful to her family but genuinely loving the company of the individuals she was meeting and providing care for. She pursued a degree in psychology with the goal of helping people, and in her role as HHP, she has found a way to make a real difference every single day in a very hands-on way. When asked what sort of change Bryan has brought to her life, Migmar said “Bryan is so funny! He’ll try to make us laugh every day. Plus, he gets me out all the time!” They try to get out of the house multiple times a week, going shopping, taking trips to the library, playing tennis, but Bryan would tell you that his favorite thing to do with Migmar is go to the movies (particularly horror movies because as he said, “Migmar gets a little scared and hides her face.”). 

Not only has Migmar opened her home to Bryan, but she truly goes out of her way every single day to make sure he has what he needs to live a full and comfortable life. From contacting day programs in her free time to physically walking into his place of work to help him iron out his schedule, to signing up for classes to expand her knowledge, Migmar consistently goes above and beyond to be the absolute best provider she can be. She may be new to the job title of HHP, but anyone who meets her or talks to Bryan about how happy he is in their home would know that she is the exact type of person who is meant to make a difference. Her dedication and heart have impressed everyone on Bryan’s team. We are so honored to work with such incredible people and providers at Support Inc! 

 Thank you, Migmar, for your outstanding work and congratulations on being named the May Host Home Provider of the Month!!!

 

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Kelly Completes the Highline Canal Race!

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Support Inc. individual in services, Kelly, recently completed the Highline Canal Race! Kelly was able to participate in this 5k race with the help of Ainsley’s Angels a group that recruits runners to push riders in specialized wheelchairs to give them the experience of racing. Our very own, Kelly, raced in this year’s event! Congratulations to Kelly on this special accomplishment and thank you to Ainsley’s Angels and all the volunteers that made this possible!

 

 

Intake

Intake Department News & Updates

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Greetings from the Intake Department! We are excited to introduce you to our new team structure and provide an update on the Support Inc. Intake Team.

New Team Structure:

Director of Intake and Public Relations- Brian Slusarz

Lead Intake and Marketing Specialist- Cathy Kellogg

Intake Specialist- Cindy Cridlebaugh

Intake Specialist- Kristin Kemp

Intake Team Updates:

The Support Inc. Intake Team continues to work hard with a focus on bringing new individuals, families and providers into our wonderful services. Our job is to make the onboarding process into our services as seamless and as simple as possible. Are team is dedicated to ensuring a smooth transition with a heavy focus on customer service. Our new team structure, with added staff resources has hopefully, enhanced the customer experience when enrolling in our services.

In addition to the above core function, we continue to search for in-home respite providers! If you live anywhere along the Front Range and are open to providing respite in the family’s home, please email us at placement.team@supportinc.com. We also continue to recruit host home providers in Jefferson, Pueblo, El Paso, Larimer, Boulder, Weld, Washington, and Yuma counties. We are also searching for providers with behavioral experience. We will pay a one-time $300 referral bonus to anyone that refers friends or family to us! (For placements that last 90 days or longer). We are also providing sign on bonuses to HHPs in certain locations. Please visit Support, Inc. – Career Page (applytojob.com) for more information.

Lastly, the Intake Team is excited to announce the opening of our new office in Sterling, CO!!! We have been serving individuals and families in Northeastern Colorado for over a decade and we’re excited to finally have a physical location in Sterling. We will be hosting an Open House BBQ Party on June 13th. For more information, please contact info@supportinc.com

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Quality Assurance News & Updates

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June is National Safety Month, and this year the focus is on safety in the workplace.

Preventing injuries at work.

  1. Have good lifting posture.
  2. Before lifting
    • Be aware of the object’s weight
    • Make sure the work environment is flat, dry, and debris-free
    • Check that the lift direction is straight
    • Take care of any tripping risks or debris
    • Look for any muddy or slippery areas
    • Make multiple trips, don’t try to do it all at one time
  3. During lifting
    • Never twist your torso while lifting
    • Stay “nose between your toes”
    • Never lift a heavy item above shoulder level
    • Never carry a load that obstructs your vision
    • Never hold your breath while lifting, moving, and setting the load down
    • Keep the load close to your waist for as long as possible
    • Adopt a stable position
    • Don’t flex your back any further while lifting
    • Avoid twisting your back or leaning sideways especially while your back is bent
    • Keep your head up when handling
    • Get a good handhold and do not twist while lifting
  1. Always follow standard precautions.
    • Standard precautions apply to the care of all people and are applied when there is a risk of exposure to (1) blood; (2) bodily fluids/secretions/excretions; (3) non-intact skin, and (4) mucous membranes.
    • Standard precautions include:
      1. Hand hygiene: wash hands frequently for at least 40-60 seconds.
      2. Use personal protective equipment (PPE) to serve as a barrier to protect skin, mucous membrane, airway, and clothing. This includes gloves, masks and gowns.
      3. Follow respiratory hygiene/ cough etiquette.
      4. Properly handle, clean and disinfect care equipment.
      5. Routinely clean and disinfect the environment.
      6. Follow safe injection practices.
  1. Prevent slips, trips, and falls. Falls can happen anywhere. Whether it’s working at heights or tripping on the same level, you always need to keep your eyes out for hazards.
    • Keep walkways and staircases clear.
    • Practice good cord management! Secure cords and when needed, tape down power cords and cables to prevent tripping.
    • Clean up spills and messes promptly.
    • Ensure there is proper lighting.
    • Keep floors clean and dry.
  2. Be prepared for an emergency.
    • The 1st week of June is national CPR & AED awareness week. Delivering first aid quickly and effectively can be lifesaving as every second counts when someone has lost consciousness. CPR/FA training must be renewed every 2 years, to find a class near you use this link.
    • Have basic supplies: water, flashlight, first aid kit, extra batteries, radio, etc.
    • Be prepared for natural disasters, listen to EAS, NOAA weather radio or local alerting systems for current emergency information and instructions.