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With so many different MRDD Agency Providers to choose from why is so many people choosing to get on a waiting list for The United Family Foundation? My name is Dr. David Willis I received a Doctrine in Philosophy of Counseling and I hold a Masters degree in Social Work and Family Therapy. I have practiced with children and families for over twenty seven years in the state of Ohio in the areas the mrdd/developmental disabilities, mental health, early childhood development and crisis prevention. Through the years I have seen the way that so many different mrdd agency providers come and go. I have seen the best and I have seen the worst. However, I have never seen anything like people getting on a waiting list for a agency provider to get openings. Therefor I have complied a list on why I think the United Family Foundation is the most sought out mrdd agency provider in the state of Ohio. 1. Well trained staff The truth is most mrdd agency providers do not train their staff at all. They hire anybody with a STNA certification and send them right to the job site with very little supervision or experience. The agency providers that do train their employees usually only train their staff for about one week and then send them to your home to work. This is not enough time to properly train staff in any other industry to perform at a high quality standard. The United Family Foundation actually trains their staff for four weeks. Upon the completion of training the staff they do weekly follow ups and continued education. The quality and knowledge of the staff of the United Family Foundation is noticeable from the first day that they begin services. It’s just a major difference between high quality and low quality and you know the difference when you are receiving it. ?? 2. Small MRDD Agency Provider The United Family Foundation is a small mrdd agency provider. The difference between a big mrdd agency provider can come down to quantity vs quality. A big mrdd agency provider has tons of clients so they always have the need to hire new employees and because they have so many clients they can not properly train all of them. So bigger mrdd agencies tend more incompetent workers working for them in turn they have a low retention rate on their employees. Another thing is a bigger mrdd agency tends to be less personal with their clients than a smaller agency. Large mrdd agency providers kind of give you the feel of being institutionalized where a small mrdd agency can feel like they are just another member of your family. The United Family Foundation maintains under 50 clients so the owners get to know all of their clients on a first name basis, so your not just another number. ?? 3. Gas for outings and errands Most mrdd agency providers do not give their employees money for gas. For those of you who have experienced this know just what I am talking about. When it is time to go to a doctors appointment or a social outing the staff will say “I can take you if you have the gas money”. The United Family Foundation providers their staff with weekly gas cards. This may not seem like much but trust me this almost unheard of in this industry.?? 4. Activities program The United Family Foundation actually has a routine that actually helps their clients build social skill,motor skills and general life skills. Most mrdd agency providers will just come into your home and do some basic state minimum requirements (and then you might get stuck with some young 20 year old girl who wants to chew bubble gum and talk to her boyfriend on her cell phone the rest of the time.) I have seen their program work and clients have shown some tremendous improvement. ?? 5. You have a choice If for any reason the personality of the staff and the personality of the client clash, The United Family Foundation has a replacement program. They like to see the staff happy to work with their client and the client happy to work with their staff. If for some reason that does not go according to plan they will work with the client to get a direct care provider that they feel comfortable with. In addition the client has the choice in rather they get a male or female staff. The United Family Foundation takes pride in perfectly matching direct care aides with clients. ??6. They show up for the job While a lot of mrdd agency providers struggle with low retention rates with quality employees. The United Family Foundation does not face this issue,because they pay their employees well with great benefits. They treat their employees like the face of their company. Their rention rates are usually high and their employees love to show up for work. In a rare instance that somebody does not show up for work they have like three back up options. At another agency if somebody quits you maybe with out staff for a few weeks. With the United Family Foundation they have the man power and you can count on them showing up for the job. ?? 7. They treat you as family?? This cannot be over emphasized enough when someone is actually coming into your home to help you or your loved ones with daily living routines. It can be a difficult task accepting this new stranger into your life. I always say the best mrdd agency providers are the ones who’s foundation is built on family. The United Family Foundation’s motto is “United your family with ours” and I think that is why their employees buy into the idea. I see employees go to family functions of the people they work for, on their day off or they may invite their clients to their personal family functions. The United Family Foundation has a really good system for making you feel like a part of the family. ??8. They are there for emergency situations?? I have seen situations where mrdd agency providers dropped their client when they needed them most. For example I had a client who had a bed bug infestation and their provider refused to come to the home to provide services, they also refused to even find her temporary housing while the bed bug infestation was been taking care of it was a absolute nightmare. I worked closely with the family to find a new provider but no one would take on the job. Finally another agency provider said the United Family Foundation had a opening for a new client. Once we contacted them they started providing services within 24 hours. It was a great turn around time and life saver for that particular client. Believe it or not I have seen tons of situations like this where clients are dumped by there providers under less circumstances. 9. On call 24 hours ??For any situation that comes up around the clock they have staff available.?? 10. They really make a difference I have seen clients with the same agency provider for years with little or no improvement made at all. If the client had problems with social issues before they took on a new provider 5 years later they still struggle with the same issues. However, with the United Family Foundation I have found that clients immediately start show improvement within the first quarter. I am always amazed at their results even in the most severe of circumstances. The only downside to The United Family Foundation is they are not always accepting new clients. They usually have a waiting list, because of the quality of their services they provide. Plenty of social workers,case managers or service and support administrators would agree that The United Family Foundation is the most sought out mrdd agency provider in the state of Ohio. I understand their philosophy on maintaing under 50 clients to make their services more personalized, but I just think they could take on more clients and do just as well. I don’t work for this agency or any other agency but you can find more information on their website www.unitedfamilyfoundation.com
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