Published: March 26, 2013
Categories: Events
Nominated by: Jessica Primo, Residential Supervisor, Julie Goodwin, Program Director and Jena, a resident of Linda’s program.
Linda Conely has been working as a Direct Support Professional at one of Bridgewell’s residential programs for almost 13 years. Her program has four women, one who has lived in the home since 2001. As the needs of the individuals served in her residential programs changed, Linda adapted to their needs. She is a constant support to the women and they will often report that they feel comfortable talking to Linda about anything that is bothering them.
Linda will often pick up extra shifts on the weekends and works hard to get the individuals involved in the community. She’ll go to the mall, see a play or go to the movies. When Linda is leading weekly House Meetings she works with the women to plan activities that are meaningful to them on an individual basis as well as the group as a whole.
Linda is also the Fire Safety and Human Rights Officer for her program and works with the women to identify unsafe situations and helps them brainstorm how those unsafe situations can be made safer. Linda is a great role model and trainer for her co-workers. She can always be found interacting with the individuals or assisting the individuals with various housekeeping tasks using creative teaching approaches that make it fun to learn.
Proof of Linda’s value as a Direct Support Professional is the testimony directly from the residents of her program. When Linda takes time off from work, the individuals miss her. They will often as, “When is Linda working next?” “I miss Linda,” or “Linda is my favorite staff!”