Category: Services
Celebrations and conversations with GoodLife’s Diversity Committee
In August of 2020, to create an open dialogue about diversity within GoodLife, we established a Diversity Committee composed of residents, employees, leadership, partners, and board members. The purpose of this committee is (1) to provide information and opportunities to increase awareness about the barriers of injustice that continue to diminish the rights of those who have been marginalized, and… read more
Meet Debi: How a teacher looking for a change found a new career as a GoodLife DSP
GoodLife’s Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) work – and often live – alongside our seniors and people with disabilities to provide daily teaching, support, and companionship, which are vital to each resident’s quality of life. DSP Debi Hobelman stops by the blog to tell us how she went from thinking of her job at GoodLife as something to help her through… read more
Meet Victor: Living the GoodLife through independent, connected, and community living
It brings us incredible joy to see our vision and mission being lived out. As we continue to reimagine independence for seniors and those with disabilities through empowering, connected, and purposeful community living, hearing stories of happiness and fulfillment from our residents is the only way we truly know we’re on to something great. Today we visit with Victor (and… read more
A GoodLife Board Member’s Perspective: Meet Ellen
You can’t miss it, with its abstract brushstrokes and vibrant colors. The artwork that hangs on the wall in her lake home is an easy conversation starter. “What a cool painting! Where did you get that?” guests ask. “Let me tell you about Delbert,” answers Ellen with a sparkle in her eye. Ellen lives for this kind of moment—an opportunity… read more
The Quest for the GoodLife | Bonus Episode
In 2020 we took viewers on our Quest for the GoodLife with Dr. Mike Strouse and covered a lot of ground. We discussed the history of care and why, now more than ever, we need a new paradigm of care (Episode 1); we shared with you how the seed for the Neighborhood Network was planted, and what we’ve done for… watch now
Meet Zach: How life skills learned through the RISE program lead to independence
GoodLife’s uniquely-created work program, TEAM Work, and RISE, the a day-services program for semi-independent adults, provide individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) within the Neighborhood Network opportunities to work, learn, and grow in a safe, inclusive, and familiar environment. Today we visit with one of our Neighborhood Network residents and RISE participants, Zach Brown. Zach shares what he’s learning… read more
Introducing GoodLife U
Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) are the backbone of the workforce behind community living and service support models for individuals living with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD) and seniors. For more than thirty years, the DSP workforce has been one of the most unstable workforces nationwide. Recently, statistics showed that annual turnover rates for DSPs were at 50%, in comparison to… watch now
The Quest for the GoodLife | Episode 8
Our Quest for the GoodLife series with Dr. Mike Strouse is wrapping up for this year, and in 2020’s final episode we wanted to take some time to address many of the comments and questions received from our viewers. In particular, we often field inquiries about privacy: how can we prioritize privacy for the people we serve when we are… watch now
Top five things we’re proud of in 2020
We certainly don’t have to tell you why 2020 was the year we set aside specific plans and prioritized adapting. The hard work we have done over the last 40 years prepared us for challenges we never saw coming. In the shadow of the Coronavirus, we learned we could rely on our established strategies, models, and technologies to keep staff… read more
The Quest for the GoodLife: Episode 7
So far on our Quest for the GoodLife, we’ve explored our unique neighborhood service models that are leveraged with iLink technologies. You’re familiar with how iLink and staff supports have been infused into homes, neighborhoods, and across the agency to improve the quality of care at GoodLife. Today Dr. Mike Strouse discusses iLink’s Enterprise solution: we have been preparing our… watch now