Direct Support Professional
Focused Behavioral Health · Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
The Direct Support Professional (DSP) provides person-centered care, therapeutic training, and daily living support to individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) residing within an Intermediate Care Facility (ICF). Operating in compliance with Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) regulatory standards, the DSP helps residents achieve maximum independence, protects their personal rights, and ensures a safe, hygienic, and nurturing environment.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
1. Daily Living & Personal Care Support
• Assist with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs): Provide dignified, hands-on assistance with personal hygiene, including bathing, showering, toileting, grooming, dressing, and oral care.
• Nutritional Support: Prepare meals in strict accordance with individual dietary specifications, speech therapy guidelines (e.g., mechanical soft, pureed diets), and portion requirements; assist with feeding as necessary.
• Mobility Assistance: Help residents with transfer, ambulation, and physical positioning using assistive equipment (such as Hoyer lifts or gait belts) following prescribed safe-handling protocols.
2. Clinical, Medical & Behavior Plan Implementation
• Medication Administration: Administer prescribed oral, topical, and routine medications following successful completion of the Pennsylvania Med-Tech Certification program and agency protocols.
• Active Treatment & ISP Goals: Execute individual programmatic goals outlined in each resident's Individualized Support Plan (ISP) to foster adaptive and vocational skill-building.
• Behavior Management: Implement positive behavioral support plans and utilize authorized crisis prevention and de-escalation techniques (such as CPI or Safety-Care) to manage challenging behaviors safely.
3. Facility Maintenance & Documentation
• Environment Maintenance: Complete light housekeeping tasks, including resident laundry, sanitizing living areas, and ensuring common spaces remain clean and free of hazards.
• Regulatory Recordkeeping: Thoroughly complete shift logs, objective behavioral data sheets, MAR charting, and incident reports in full alignment with state regulatory bodies (PA Title 55).
• Medical Tracking: Note any physical, behavioral, or medical changes and report them directly to the on-duty facility nurse or program supervisor.
4. Community Integration & Transportation
• Outings and Activities: Escort and support residents during therapeutic community trips, recreational events, and shopping errands.
• Medical Transit: Safely transport residents to off-site medical, dental, or vision appointments using agency-provided vehicles.