25 May Promoting Wellness Among Months of Stress
Certainly a pandemic takes its toll on everyone. But for those who give their time to care for others, the stress can easily become too heavy for them to carry. For many caregivers, long-term stress can lead to burnout and can lower the quality of care that they provide to clients like the individuals we serve. This May, New Hope is recognizing Mental Health Month and is proud to support the hundreds of caregivers who give so much of themselves to ensure that New Hope’s clients are happy, healthy and safe.
New Hope made an intentional decision to include this support in our Vision Statement: “We will recognize our associates for their unwavering commitment to service every day and we will commit to provide them with resources to be successful both personally and professionally.”
To best support our associates, especially our Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), New Hope offers a number of resources to promote good mental health. All New Hope associates have access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) which offers free services in mental health counseling, family counseling, legal assistance and more. In addition to these free services, New Hope also offers access to our Associate Financial Assistance (AFA) Program which offers interest-free emergency loans to associates in need. Ultimately, we hope that this program helps alleviate the stress of unexpected emergency expenses. Most of New Hope’s associates also take advantage of our comprehensive benefits package, providing insurance for additional mental health services and other wellness programs.
Lonya Thompson, New Hope’s Manager of Behavior Services, addressed associates and offered several ways to focus on self-care and promote overall wellness. By practicing self-care, caregivers can prevent burnout and ensure that they are able to provide the best care possible to the vulnerable population that we serve. Lonya offered some great advice that can benefit anyone who is feeling stress: meditate, practice gratitude, take a break from social media, exercise, make time for something that you enjoy, get good sleep, spend time in nature and do not feel guilty for taking time for yourself.
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