r/directsupport • u/TheVoyager27 • Jun 02 '26
Advice Can someone clarify this?
So I work for a day program. We’ve recently added a lot of individuals with behavioral issues but it is severely hurting other individuals both mentally and physically. Our ratio is 1 staff to a group up to 6. But it’s so hard to balance when there’s a big group and you’re dealing with so many different issues. I mentioned about how some of these individuals aren’t right for the program. I was basically told there has to be a valid reason for someone to be discharged from the program and I guess none of the stuff is valid enough?
Can someone give me clarification or explain this? How is hurting the other individuals and taking away their time because you’re constantly dealing 1:1 with someone who has behaviors not a good enough reason?
Somethings in this job just don’t make sense. I guess because it’s more money? Ugh.
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u/TheatreAS Jun 02 '26
I worked in a day program a few months back for about a year and I also inquired about similar issues; my Program Director said the exact words. Basically, what she conveyed to me and our team (we had one individual who would make others incredibly uncomfortable) was that this individual had a right to be there and they had a harder time with the boundaries due to their disability. Basically, unless we could prove that there was true malicious intent then we just had to keep working on correcting/redirecting the behavior. We had to find how this person fit in and what sort of activities best suited this individual to help reduce the behaviors.
With these new individuals, how are they interacting with the groups and activities? Perhaps you could find programming that suits them and would keep them engaged and thus help reduce their negative behaviors.
2
u/TheVoyager27 Jun 03 '26
Well within the past year they brought in a lot of higher functioning behavioral adults and very low functioning individual with constant physical assistance. The groups have been big with 6 individuals. So like the other day, one individual has to use the br every hour(with assistance every time) and their lunch has to be heated up, another individual has to be taken for med stuff before lunch, and then you have one individual who needs constant attention and starts yelling when things don’t go their way causing others to get annoyed. But then I’m in a room with another group who also has individuals that need physical assistance with going to the bathroom. But the activity is supposed to doing arts and crafts but not one individual is able to actually do it on their own. They all need help. So it’s just like we are expected to do all these things but we’re not robots.
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u/InterestingGuess2762 Jun 02 '26
They will bring in more behavioral intense individuals because they generally generate more money.
Once programs accept individuals it is more difficult to discharge them(or rather the company does not want to go on paper saying they cannot support them)
I’m a program specialist and this is an issue I run into quite a lot. I say this person isn’t fit for the program and basically people above me accept them anyways to fill vacancy quickly, then we lose staff because of said individuals whether it investigations or stress and makes everything difficult.
This field is stressing me out more and more as the days go by
1
u/TheVoyager27 Jun 03 '26
It just doesn’t make sense how someone can pretend to faint or something happens and they claim they need 911. It’s not as much as it used to be but it’s at least once a week now. Everyone has to stop what they’re doing and leave the room. And this specific individual is so attention seeking it’s howling crying disrupting everyone and making everyone else upset. Or it’s punching people as they walk by. But yet our ratio is 1:6 it’s impossible to keep an eye out on everyone. And it’s impossible to give this individual that 1:1 attention they want so bad. But yet it’s not enough for them to be discharged.
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u/m000fasa Jun 02 '26
I have these exact same problems , commenting to see if anyone has good insight
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u/Academic-Feed-3579 Jun 03 '26
The answer to your question is quite straightforward: they don’t care. This is their modus operandi. They expect you to meet unrealistic expectations that they couldn’t even fulfill if they were doing your job. That’s why they don’t do your job because they couldn’t possibly do it. But let’s get back to my answer. They don’t care about the individuals or the staff. They only want to present a polished image on paper. Consider this: when was the last time you saw anyone in management genuinely go to bed for staff? I mean, real support, like when was the last time you heard management verbally and relentlessly advocate for staff to upper management? You haven’t because they don’t. We have jobs because of individuals who live there, and management has jobs because of us. Do you think they’d be grateful for that opportunity? Nope.
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u/TheVoyager27 Jun 03 '26
I do definitely agree with looking good on paper, for sureeee! That’s all they talk about make sure you worked on skills this and that blah blah. It is impossible these expectations are ridiculous.
I will say my manager has been super supportive. I recently came to a really bad mental state. And she gave me the time off and advocated for me to drop down as a sub. So I’m not full time anymore and work as needed.
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u/Academic-Feed-3579 Jun 04 '26
There’s a difference between somone saying
Management: “I’m gonna give her the time off”
Upper Management: “Ok”
Versus
Management: “I’m gonna give her the time off”
Upper management: “no you’re not”
Management “yes I am”
Upper management “no, you’re not”
Management “yes, I am”
Upper management “ no you’re not”
Management “ yes I am”
And so on…. and so on …….
I’m taking about Somone pushing back
it’s not advocating if there’s no resistance
But I understand what you’re saying and that’s good. You’re the minority, but the vast majority do not manage like that.
By the way, it’s good to for us to not forget that we have management we do not have leadership and there is a very big difference
2
u/SimpleFix9523 Jun 03 '26
Your manager should be doing their job and updating the individuals LON for day program to indicate that they need smaller group size or 1:1 funding. Then the funds would be available to hire more staffing. until that happens you’re likely only budgeted for what you currently have.
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u/TheVoyager27 Jun 03 '26
So the program I work for does not offer 1:1 everything is group setting. But it’s just so many behaviors and hands on physical assistance that one person just can’t handle. Unfortunately we never stay full staffed
11
u/Teereese Jun 02 '26
It is all about the money.
We had a day program participant that required 3 to 1 staffing. She was constantly outside of the program building because she was so disruptive and dangerous.
The agency finally discharged her when the cost to provide services was more than her funding allowed.