(Smithtown, NY) — Developmental Disabilities Institute (DDI), the leading service provider for children and adults with autism on Long Island, will be holding a workshop for family caregivers and people who work with individuals with developmental disabilities. The workshop intends to help caregivers recognize and overcome compassion fatigue on April 25th at 7 P.M. in the lecture hall at DDI’s Hollywood Drive location.
“Too often people who work with vulnerable populations such as individuals with developmental disabilities, are not prepared for the toll that care-giving exacts on them,” commented Michael Romas PhD, Coordinator of Training and Professional Development for DDI. “Moreover, they are likely to feel guilty about needing “time-out” – no matter how temporary – from the day to day demands of care-giving, even when they are stressed or traumatized by outside demands from families, communities, jobs or personal health issues.”
Researchers and health care practitioners have documented that there is often a link between caregiver stress and the quality of care provided to the vulnerable individuals they care for. Attendee’s will learn to understand the significance of compassion in family care-giving and caring professions; understand the difference between stress, burnout and compassion fatigue; recognize the importance of separating employment issues and personal issues; recognizing the danger signals of compassion fatigue, such as loss of sympathy, indifference toward co-workers, friends and family.
Thomas M. Cassidy, a Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Social Welfare at Stony Brook University, is one of the presenters at the workshop. Professor Cassidy is the author of: “Elder Care/What to Look For/What to Look Out For!” “How To Choose Retirement Housing,” an Economic Education Bulletin published by the American Institute for Economic Research, and co-editor along with Dr. Lynn M. Tepper, an Associate Clinical Professor at Columbia University, of a college textbook, “Multi-disciplinary Perspectives on Aging.” Marvin L. Colson, a Clinical Associate Professor, and the Director of Developmental Disabilities Programs for the School of Social Welfare at Stony Brook University, will be the other presenter for the workshop. Prior to his current director-ship at Stony Brook University, Professor Colson worked for over 21 years for NYS Office of People with Developmental Disabilities, including seven years as the Long Island Regional Director. Marvin has over 25 years of executive level public health policy and management experience with all levels of government and private organizations in developing and administering quality health programs.
The workshop will be held at 7 P.M. in the lecture hall at DDI’s Hollywood Drive campus located at 99 Hollywood Drive in Smithtown. Space is limited for the FREE workshop and anyone interested in further details or registering should call Dr. Romas at 631-366-5875 or email at mromas@ddiinfo.org.
DDI is a not-for-profit agency headquartered in Smithtown, NY, with more than 30 locations throughout Suffolk and Nassau Counties. Serving nearly 1,000 children and adults with a diagnosis of an autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), DDI is the largest provider of services for individuals with Autism on Long Island. It provides special educational, vocational, day and residential programs, as well as healthcare services for over 5,000 children and adults with autism or other developmental disabilities. DDI also operates family-centered preschool programs for both children with disabilities as well as typically developing students. DDI was founded in 1961 by a group of parents to address the special educational and therapeutic needs of their children with autism or other developmental disabilities. DDI is a member agency of the United Way of Long Island.
For more information about DDI, visit www.ddiny.org.
