Five Staff Leaders Achieve DSP 3.0 Credential at Pathfinder Village
EDMESTON—Five staff were recognized recently for completing Pathfinder Village’s Direct Support Professional 3.0 credentialing program. This training program aligns with direct care and human service competencies and uses a multi-tiered approach to build employees’ skills, advance aging care for people with intellectual disabilities, and provides advanced case management experience.
The newest DSP 3.0 graduates are Alexis Buchanan, Bayleigh Davis, Trittany Hoagland, Angela Lund and Katrina Reidenbach. These credentialed staff work primarily in Pathfinder’s residential homes but also provide vital services to people with Down syndrome and other disabilities as they participate in community-based events, receive medical services, and pursue personal interests and day program activities.
“This is a special day where we can honor the hard work of our DSP 3.0 team members,” said Brittany Goodrich, director of Pathfinder’s Kennedy Willis Center on Down Syndrome, which oversees the eight-month curriculum. “Our students have expanded their knowledge and skills to provide quality care for those living with disabilities and dementia. They have studied the symptoms of typical aging and applied evidenced-based strategies to assist people who are experiencing memory loss.”
“The relationships that develop among direct support professionals and the people with disabilities they work with each day are key to the individuals’ fulfillment and independence,” said Karen Knavel, Pathfinder Village’s president and chief executive officer. “As people age and experience dementia, it is essential that direct support staff are knowledgeable and committed to ensuring their well-being and continued community engagement. Pathfinder has focused on aging services for over a decade, and we’re proud of our DSP 3.0s who assist people with aging’s transitions.”
As part of the graduation ceremony, the DSP 3.0s presented case studies that summarized their semester’s work: Each graduate provided in-depth background on an individual with intellectual disabilities, the characteristics of that person’s aging process, and how they assessed and developed care strategies to ease challenges associated with memory loss. The graduates applied holistic strategies, assessing a person’s strengths and habits, home and day program environments, changes in routines, medical concerns and diagnoses, and other inputs that often come to the fore during aging.
The curriculum is presented to Pathfinder’s front-line staff who have completed the DSP 2.0 course. Aging coursework is presented in conjunction with Jefferson Eldercare and Dr. Adel Herge, professor of occupational therapy at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, who serves on the Board of Directors for the Kennedy Willis Center on Down Syndrome.
Village administrators recognize having a trained, knowledgeable direct support professional workforce is critical, as there are growing numbers of aging individuals in the U.S. with cognitive declines and dementia. The development of the DSP 2.0 and 3.0 courses extends Pathfinder’s decades of work in aging programs and infrastructure supports for people with intellectual disabilities.
Pathfinder Village is an internationally respected livable community and services provider in upstate New York and was founded in 1980 to provide people living with Down syndrome and other disabilities an independent and fulfilling lifestyle. As it works to provide quality supports for individuals with intellectual disabilities, the Village also offers highly successful educational, day services, vocational and pre-vocational services, aging, and outreach programs. To learn more, visit https://pathfindervillage.org, or visit our social media on Facebook and Instagram.
