If you've been considering a career in providing crucial support and companionship for adults with disabilities, then Westside Community Focus is right for you! We're always looking for compassionate people to join our growing team of direct care professionals who are ready to make a positive impact in the lives of our community members. In this blog from Westside Community Focus, we'd like to discuss some of the things that working with disabled adults can teach you and help you grow, including developing greater patience, compassion, empathy, and successful communication skills.
Patience
Learning to be patient can be a struggle, but it is also something that can ultimately be very rewarding. Being patient helps to encourage adults with disabilities. When anyone is learning a new skill or learning to communicate in a new way, it can be frustrating, regardless of whether or not they have a disability. But when you remember to stay calm and patiently allow the disabled person you're working with to take their time with a task, the long-term results are almost always an improvement.
Compassion
Working with disabled adults will naturally teach you to show compassion. The literal definition of compassion is "to suffer together." This can mean something as simple as being present with the people you're caring for and being sympathetic to their needs and struggles. At the end of the day, you'll both be better people because of compassion.
Empathy
Being able to identify with and understand how a disabled adult feels can be difficult for someone who doesn't regularly interact with them. Just like all people, disabled adults can feel uncomfortable, vulnerable, or incompetent at times — empathy allows you to connect in a meaningful, emotional way, and truly be supportive.
Successful Communication
Working with disabled adults will teach you a wide variety of communication methods. With some people, writing may be more effective than speaking, or even drawing, sign language, or a combination of strategies.
When you work with our team at Westside Community Focus, you'll be working with an incredible group of adults who will teach you in their own unique ways how to be a more effective, patient, and compassionate caregiver. We're currently hiring, and we'd love to have you join our team! Contact us today to learn more.