A Direct Support Associate, or Direct Support Care Associate, cares for individuals experiencing developmental or intellectual disabilities or illnesses. The main duties include helping patients complete housekeeping tasks, transporting patients to appointments or other social outings, and keeping patients safe from potential health hazards in their surrounding environment.

Direct Support Associate Job Responsibilities:

• Provides direct care to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Performs personal care tasks, including assistance with basic personal hygiene and grooming, feeding, ambulation, medical monitoring, and health care related tasks.
• Fosters positive relationships between caretakers and individuals served.
• Ensures clients' safety and maintains a safe environment.
• Reminds and assists clients with self-administration of medications (with proper training).
• Encourages self-help activities.
• Reports changes in client’s condition or family situation to administrators and supervisors.
• Documents services provided.
• Performs home management functions such as housekeeping, laundry, bed making, and cleaning.
• Plans meals, shopping for groceries, preparing and serving food/meals, feeding and clean-up.
• Accompanies clients to scheduled appointments and transports clients or running errands for clients.
• Assists with toileting, including bedpans, urinals, and commode chairs as necessary.
• Other duties as assigned.

Direct Support Associate skills and qualifications:

Direct Support Associates demonstrate a variety of professional skills and qualifications, which can include: 

• Attention to detail, especially when adhering to specific protocols and rules while carefully following instructions to care for the needs of the client
• Integrity to ensure clients feel safe and comfortable when tending to personal activities such as helping them bathe
• Trustworthiness and dependability so clients and their families feel comfortable relying on them
• Interpersonal skills when working with clients, including having compassion and being sensitive to their emotional needs when they are in extreme distress or pain 
• Physical stamina when performing tasks such as lifting or turning their clients
• Ability to work in a group home, home-like settings
• Communication skills (verbally and written) with all levels of personnel, internal and external to the company
• Ability to handle physical aspects of job, including bending, stooping, lifting, pushing, pulling, reaching, and walking for periods of time

Direct Support Associate education and training requirements:

• A Direct Support Associate may be trained in housekeeping tasks or learn basic safety techniques, including how to respond to emergencies.
• Training on basic nutrition, infection control, reading and recording vital signs and personal hygiene.

 In addition, clients may have individualized preferences that require Direct Support Associates to take time to become comfortable before working with them. 

Direct Support Associate Requirements (We can assist with obtaining, if you do not have):

LEVEL ONE FINGERPRINT CLEARANCE CARD 

ARTICLE 9 CERTIFICATION 

CPR and FIRST AID CERTIFICATION 

PREVENTION AND SUPPORT CERTIFICATION

PREVENTING ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND EXPLOITATION CERTIFICATION