Loneliness Trend

Hello Community!  

I found this great article on abating loneliness and wanted to share it with you.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/09/11/1198700202/fostering-friendship-epidemic-of-loneliness 

Diversability Inc. exists because we are passionate about connection. The smallest act of kindness creates connection, and compilations of positive connections literally generate healthy cells (telomeres) in our bodies. Of course, the reverse is also true, but that’s not the focus here. Read the article and learn about how cultivating connection through friendships results in positive health outcomes.

Diversability Inc. has a mission to empower community connections. Our community needs professionals who are willing and able to support our mission through direct service work. Please visit our 'Careers’ page and contact us for information about how you, or someone you know, can have the opportunity to be paid to make a difference in our community!


​

Service Industry Drought

Our society is undergoing a transformation in workplace culture.  Employees are empowered to establish boundaries delineating their work and personal lives. Employees advocate for their mental health and well-being, and for wages that allow them to live in our region where the cost of living is high. According to Salary.com in February of 2022, the cost of living in Bend, Oregon, is 5.5% higher than the average for the rest of the country. At Diversability Inc. we work to provide wages and benefits that compensate employees and consider factors unique to individual employees. We also acknowledge the importance of maintaining a healthy work/life balance through flexible scheduling, schedule ownership, honoring 100% of vacation requests, ensuring gathering times meet the needs of the majority, assisting with finding coverage for schedule changes, advocating on behalf of employees, and many more day to day recognitions. 

Parallel to this transformation, the service industry is suffering from a drought of employees, including Direct Support Professionals (DSP).  Unfortunately, the people who ultimately suffer are those in need of services.  As a direct result of lacking support services, we witness the growth of gaps we worked so hard to shrink. We have experienced many negative outcomes from the DSP shortage:

  • Decreased community engagement

  • Increased loneliness

  • Medical emergencies

  • Loss of employment

  • Loss of housing

Given the impact on individuals we serve, along with our lack of employees, the Diversability Inc. Team works diligently to move forward as a positive force in our community. We encourage you to share this link to our careers page with your communities as we work to hire DSP’s and increase our capacity for service!