When the home of four men who had formed a brotherhood became no longer functional for them to all live together, some might have left the task of finding a solution for them to their superiors. Not Amber Lobdell.
Community Advocate
Amber was not content to provide "The Guys" with their daily support plans when their family was threatened. She jumped into action to become a leading community advocate, rallying supporters from around the Red River Valley to the cause of building them a brand new home where they could continue to live their best lives, together. Instead of staying behind the scenes, Amber became a spokesperson for The Guys, sharing their story through writing articles, using her social media accounts, and even giving speeches to explain to people and donors why their support and dollars mattered and how it would make a difference in The Guys' lives. And it worked.
A Home For The Guys, With The Guys
Once the support to build the new home for The Guys was secured, Amber didn't stop. She worked with The Guys, in conjunction with her colleagues, to help design a home that could meet not only their needs, but also their wants. Using her strong relationship with each guy and her incredible person-centered focus, she helped implement designs and layouts catered to each guy so they would not only have their personalized space, but the whole house would feel like a home from day one.
Taking Decisive Action
While we really love to talk about the fun and uplifting work of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and how our ARRM Cares Award winners excel in those areas, the reality is that sometimes the work of a DSP is intense and stressful, and people's health and even lives can hang in the balance. In those moments, it falls to the DSPs on the front lines, many of whom work for less than $15 per hour, to take decisive action.
When this happened to Amber, she acted, performing CPR when one of The Guys stopped breathing and working with her team to manage the situation until paramedics arrived. The Guys remain a brotherhood of four because she stayed cool and acted when they needed her.
Congratulations to 2019 ARRM Cares Winner Amber Lobdell. SHARE this post and her video to help spread the word about the important work of Direct Support Professionals.
About the ARRM Cares Award
Each year ARRM honors the best DSPs in Minnesota, providing direct care to people with disabilities living and working in their communities. These caregivers show outstanding compassion, person-centeredness, and professionalism.
Comments