‘The most rewarding job you’ll ever have:’
At Laura Baker, staff-client relationships become like family
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Story By ANNE KOPAS Northfield News
f you’re lucky, coming to work is like coming home. It’s certainly the case for many employees of Laura Baker Services Association in Northfield, who care for some of the community’s most vulnerable members — people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, especially those who cannot live independently. Laura Baker serves about 30 clients in its on-campus housing, plus more in half a dozen apartments and houses around town. Caring for these clients takes a small army: 180 full- or part-time staff members (the equivalent of 105 full-time employees) along with anywhere from 200 to 250 volunteers helping out, according to Executive Director Sandra Gerdes. Since Laura Baker provides round-the-clock support to clients every day of the year, it takes a significant number of workers to keep things running smoothly.
The job is by no means easy — yet many employees embrace the challenges of hard work and limited pay to enrich the lives of clients and their families. Amanda Fox, who has served as a registered nurse at Laura Baker the past two years, originally took a job as a direct care worker with the organization while in high school. Fox has since left, worked about 10 years elsewhere, and has now come back. Her return is a testament to the depth of the connections she makes with clients. “This is the most rewarding job you will ever have. Your job is to make sure your clients have a life,” Fox said. Day-to-day, her work revolves around making sure clients stay healthy. This takes place in the form of quarterly physicals, responding to minor injuries and illnesses reported by direct care staff and handling medical paperwork. Training is also a huge part of her job, either through
ABOVE: A client participates in art therapy. Laura Baker volunteers and staff provide multiple art and music opportunities for clients—a weekly choir is one of the most popular activities. (Photo courtesy of Laura Baker Services Association)
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NorthIeld
NOW- Spring 2020
