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At RCM, we promote opportunities for helping people with Intellectual Disabilities build relationships, and integrate into the community
Friday, April 24, 2020
Vernita’s Artwork Is Just As Colorful And Vibrant As She Is!
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Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Thank You For Your Support!
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RCM of Washington April 2020 Newsletter- COVID 19 Edition
Hello RCM Supporters
We hope you are all staying as safe and healthy as possible during these difficult times. We'd like to share with you some of the things our essential workers have been up to these past few weeks, and offer some helpful resources and advice.
Supporting Folks during the Corona Virus- Stay Inside!
Staying inside is not so bad – right? Our DSPs at RCM have been planning daily activities to keep people inside and safe. What are you doing inside? Take a picture of yourself and send it to us!
Indoor bowling anyone?
Let's Get Crafty!
A special and heartfelt thank you to all of our DSPs and those on the front lines supporting people with disabilities. We salute and appreciate you. If it were not for you, your love, care, compassion and kindness, this work would not be done. Nominate a DSP doing great things during this time for a feature in the next newsletter!
What are you doing to stay safe?
Here are some tips from RCM!
Protecting Yourself and Others from Coronavirus
Wash your Hands
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds – especially after being in a public place and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
• If you do not have access to soap and water, use a hand sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them until completely dry.
• Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
Practice Social Distance
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Put distance between yourself and others if COVID-19 is spreading in your community. It is recommended to keep about 6 feet between you and other people.
•This is especially important for people at higher risk of getting very sick.
•Do your part to keep yourself and others safe!
What does 6 feet look like?
Let's Keep Everyone Safe!
• If you are sick, stay home. Leave the house only to get medical care (if you are sick).
• Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Use a tissue and throw it away immediately or cough or sneeze into the inside of your elbow.
• Throw used tissues in the trash
• After you cough and/or sneeze, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, clean your hands with a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Wear a facemask anytime you are in a public space, including grocery stores, public transportation, pharmacies and ride-share vehicles.
• If you are taking care of someone who is sick, wear a mask when you are in the same space as the person.
• Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces - including tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
• If surfaces are dirty, clean them: Use detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.
Quarantine – It is not a bad thing!
Quarantine means staying away from people if you are sick or if someone you know is sick. It is to protect yourself and others from getting sick. Remember, quarantine is temporary. Right now, the quarantine period is 14 days or two weeks. If you or someone you know is sick, it is important to stay away.
RCM Featured in the Washington Post and DSP Appreciation
Quotes from Danielle Darby, RCM's Chief Operating Officer, and stories from RCM employees were featured in a recent article in the Washington Post highlighting the struggles Direct Support workers have been facing during the COVID-19 outbreak. Read it
here: A health care worker chose to quarantine with a disabled man who has covid-19. For that, he gets $4 more an hour and has to reuse masks and gowns.
On the RCM Facebook page, we having been sharing all the exceptional things our frontline workers have been doing in the midst of this pandemic. This article articulates perhaps the greatest sense of duty our DSP’s are facing, ensuring that some of our most vulnerable community members are receiving the supports they need despite personal risk. These DSP’s are undervalued, underpaid and not bound by a license. They are choosing to show up. People with disabilities and the people who support them need to be prioritized. We are so proud of all our frontline workers, both DSP’s and nurses, for their strength and commitment to the people they support. We will get through this together ❤️
Additional Resources:
• DD Council COVID-19 Resource Page
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• IRS – Economic Payments
If you have any suggestions or ideas for what to include in future emails please email RCM's social media/marketing coordinator Megan Spinella at mds282@georgetown.edu.
Check out our website and social media pages!
Main Website RCM Twitter Facebook Page
Copyright © 2019, RCM of Washington, All rights reserved.
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Monday, April 20, 2020
Imagine If No One Could Explain To You Why The Pandemic Has Changed Your Life
I am sorry
? I replied.
How stupid I am
Followed a few seconds later by
About school
Damn, I thought. It had seemed like my younger daughter had nailed quarantine life better than anyone. But as my little family closed in on our third week of forced togetherness, Sophie was falling apart.
At almost 17, you’d think Sophie would have realized, like many of her peers, that the expectations around schooling have relaxed significantly. But she’s not so good at social cues. Sophie has Down syndrome. In a lot of important ways she’s almost an adult — she loves to shop at PINK and has crushes on boys. She’ll be a high school senior next year. Yet in other ways she is still a little girl. She sucks her thumb, drinks from a sippy cup and still wants me to cuddle her to sleep every night.
To read more on this story, click here: Imagine If No One Could Explain To You Why The Pandemic Has Changed Your Life
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Jason McGaughey, Recipient of @TheRealANCOR’s 2020 DC DSP of the Year Award!
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