Sep 21, 2018

Welcome New Hires


Please welcome the following new employees to the United Helpers family.

RiverLedge
Chelsea LaFlair - Task Aide
Shane O'Donnell - Food Service Attendant
Barbara Parish - RN
Caitlin Tracy - RN

United Helpers Management Co.
Daniel Basford - Maintenance II (Caretaker)
Patrick Proulx - Maintenance II (Caretaker)
Tammy Rupert - Billing Coorindator (Transfer)
Mikayla Paro - Office Tech

Pleasant Valley IRA
Wendi Gavigan - DSP


Rensselaer Falls IRA
Deonna Kennedy - DSP

Lisbon IRA
Ameena Peters - DSP

Supportive Case Management
Kelsey Jones - Specialized Care Coordinator

Sep 14, 2018

Recruitment & Retention Committee Announces Contest

The United Helpers Recruitment & Retention Committee is excited to announce a new contest that will allow you to help us recruit new employees, while also having a chance to win some great prizes.

The United Helpers Facebook page is closing in on 3,000 likes, but yet many of our own employees do not like the page. Fear not, liking our page is not the same as becoming friends with someone, your postings will not start showing up on our feeds, but hopefully our postings and ads will start showing up on yours.

After you like our page, www.facebook.com/unitedhelpers, each time you see a job ad or job posting and share it, you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card. One winner will be chosen each month and there is no limit to the number of times you may enter, so share away!

This contest is open to all United Helpers Employees. Our first drawing will be held in October, but you may start sharing today!


Sep 11, 2018

United Helpers Teams With BOCES & Labor Dept. to Launch Apprenticeship Program for DSPs


CANTON – At the same time students are returning to schools across the North Country, a group of 15 Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) employed by United Helpers Mosaic are returning to the classroom to participate in the state’s first apprenticeship program for DSPs.
The program, which was launched as a collaboration between United Helpers Mosaic, St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES and the New York State Department of Labor includes 144 hours of classroom instruction and between 3,000 and 4,000 hours of on the job training broken into several categories, which relate to the profession. 

Classroom instruction will be led by BOCES, while the Labor Department will oversee job training and monitor each employee’s training log.
“I’ve always wanted people who work as DSPs to be able to do this as a career and have a clear career ladder,” said United Helpers Mosaic Staff Development Director Jason Matthie. “I feel this helps us accomplish this and I’m immensely proud of this program.”
Department of Labor Apprentice Training Representative Nick Gratch oversees 100 apprenticeship programs across the Northern Region of the state.
“Historically apprenticeships have been associated with manufacturing or construction, but now we’re delving more into health care and other fields,” he said.
The benefits of an apprenticeship in any field are clear, he said, paid on the job training and experience that will prepare you for a career and not just a job.
“At the end of this program you could be a DSP anywhere in the country and a really good one,” Mr. Gratch said, adding the number of people graduating from this program each year will create a “pipeline” for people in leadership positions.
For United Helpers this program provides us the satisfaction of being able to offer more opportunities for our employees,” Mr. Matthie said.
The employees though, won’t be the only ones who benefit, Mr. Matthie said.
“It is universally understood that a more professional, highly trained workforce equates to better satisfaction with services and quality of life for those people who receive services from Mosaic,” he said.
United Helpers employs roughly 225 DSPs who provide care and assistance for individuals with developmental disabilities in St. Lawrence County.
For more information on how you could become a DSP, please call (315) 393-3074 or visit www.unitedhelpers.org/employment. For information specific to the apprenticeship program, please contact Mr. Matthie at jrmatthie@unitedhelpers.org.

Sep 10, 2018

Welcome New Hires


Please welcome the following new employees to the United Helpers family.

RiverLedge
Brianna Baillargean - Occupational Therapist
Holly Aschenbrenner - LPN
Bailey Dean - CNA
Dylan Hoover - CNA
Erikka Parmeter - CNA
Aubrey O'Marah - Task Aide
Shannon Szafranski - Task Aide

Maplewood
Mikayla Brown - RN
Deborah Fountain - RN
Diane Monroe - CNA
Lisa Garlough - Food Service Attendant
Sabrina Campbell - Food Service Attendant
Terri Houghton - Housekeeper/Laundry Aide
Cassandra Brooks - Task Aide
Jaelynn Jessmer - Task Aide
Cynthia Niles - Task Aide
Summer Wing - Task Aide

Rensselaer Falls IRA
Jordynne Mussen - DSP
Tia Tirrell - DSP
Rayna Cameron - DSP

Lisbon IRA
Jennifer Parker - DSP
Tiffany Pike - DSP

Irish Settlement Road IRA
Hayden LaRock - DSP
Brandy Youngs - DSP

Case Management
Michael Preston - Care Manager

Sep 6, 2018

Potsdam Man Regains Use of Hands, Sets His Sights on Getting Back on His Bike


POTSDAM – This past spring Thomas Robarge was alone in his home when he fell down. Unable to get back up or reach one of the three telephones in his home, he spent two days laying on the floor of his apartment without food and water clinging to hope that someone would find him before it was too late.
A friend of his from the apartment complex where he lives did find him and called 911, setting into motion a series of events that would see Mr. Robarge spend time at three different hospitals before coming to RiverLedge Health Care & Rehabilitation Center in Ogdensburg.
“From the information I received, the hospital didn’t think he would ever be able to go back home,” said Occupational Therapist Alycia Dezell. “When he came here the thought was to do some cognitive rehab and work on his hands and he’s done great. I think he’s even surprised himself.”
It’s been a rough 12 months or so for Mr. Robarge, who has little recollection of the event leading to where he is today. 
Occupational Therapist Alycia Dezell & Thomas Robarge

“I know that something happened in my apartment,” he said. “I remember falling backwards and things being like they were in slow motion. I had three phones, but I didn’t have enough strength to get to them or use them. I’m very lucky.”
According to one of his five daughters, Danielle Rusk, Mr. Robarge had been experiencing numbness in his hands for quite some time following a surgical procedure last fall.
“This is a person who was a fisherman. He was used to tying lures on lines and baiting hooks. He started downhill skiing at 50 and rollerblading at 60. He was a very strong man,” Mrs. Rusk said. “He was used to having his fine motor skills, but he didn’t think he would ever have feeling in his hands again. Whatever they did with him worked wonders.”
Although, Mr. Robarge was never diagnosed with having a stroke, Ms. Dezell recognized that many of the things he was experiencing were similar to what people recovering from a stroke go through.
Using some techniques she picked up during recent training to become a Certified Stroke Rehabilitation Specialist, Ms. Dezell said Mr. Robarge was able to make progress that surprised everyone.
“When he first came in he used to fight Natalie and I all the time,” Ms. Dezell said, referring to Physical Therapist Natalie Gilmour. “I think though after he started to notice some improvements, he started to trust us and believe in the program.”
“At first I thought it was ridiculous, but then I noticed some improvements. We’re not all the way there yet, but I’m hoping to get there,” he said.
When asked what “all the way there” would be, Mr. Robarge, who said he used to ride his bike for between 10 and 12 miles per day, is hoping to one day again get back on his bike.
“I’m happy to be going home. I’m looking forward to fishing again and one day hopefully riding my bike again,” he said.
During the course of his therapy, Mr. Robarge said there were a couple of turning points, one involving a dog, and one involving a shoe.
Mrs. Rusk who traveled to the area from her home in Georgia to be with her father during his therapy and recovery brought her dog with her. Describing the dog as soft and fluffy, she said that while her father had been able to pet the dog, he did not understand how soft the dog’s fur was until one day when he was petting the dog.
“I could see the look on his face change,” Mrs. Rusk recalled. “Then he said, ‘Oh my God, he is really soft.” 
Just a few weeks ago, Mr. Robarge couldn't tie his own shoes.

The second turning point came when Mr. Robarge was again able to tie both of his shoes.
“I hadn’t been able to tie my left shoe in over a year, even going back to before the surgery,” he said, as he leaned over from his chair and adjusted the laces on his sneakers.
In addition to regaining use of his hands, Mr. Robarge has also seen significant improvements with his memory and other cognitive skills. He is now back at home in his own apartment and after a period of adjustment and getting settled, hoping to resume therapy in an outpatient setting and continue working towards getting back on his bike.
“He didn’t even want to have hope, but they just kept on him and would not let him give up,” Mrs. Rusk said. “Our family is incredibly grateful for Alycia and the entire staff at RiverLedge. They were all great.”
For more information on therapy services at RiverLedge Health Care & Rehabilitation Center in Ogdensburg, contact (315) 393-0730. For information on therapy services at Maplewood, contact (315) 386-4541.  You may also like United Helpers on Facebook or visit www.unitedhelpers.org.