"Being chronically negative is cumulatively corrosive. It leads toward becoming a naysayer, a cynic, a person with a perpetually defeatist attitude. What if, in the face of challenge, we mourned what needs mourning, then tended to the task of rekindling our light?"
~ Karen Jandorf, Peace on the Inside
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Owners Corner
— featuring Pam Barnard & Deb Neuman—
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Featured owners of Aurora this month are Pam Barnard and Deb Neuman, who have both done much to assist in Aurora's creation, development, and success.
Please tells us about the early days of Aurora.
Pam: A year of taking long walks and talking about the possibilities of this new and innovative business. Having discussions with our four kids and figuring out how we could survive financially on my day care business and loans. Unlimited meetings with Jim and Deb (business and social) for a year laying out a plan. Jim and Deb lived on a cul-de-sac named "Aurora Circle" and actually became the inspiration for Aurora's name when we were all out on a walk one day. Dave & Jim attending auctions to furnish the first home in Menomonie.
Deb: Wow. It was a lot of work now that I look back. Just getting the house ready for unrelated adults to share and setting up an office took major effort. We had all worked in residential facilities and were extremely motivated by the impact community based living would have. It was pretty common to have our extended family share their extra furniture, bedding, and kitchen supplies to help in getting each site supplied, furnished, and ready to go. Even my grandmother sent along items from a relative's estate sale! A familiar question from our parents got to be, "Do you need this for one of the group homes?" And the answer was generally yes.
What were your feelings during the early planning and development?
Pam: Scary, but knowing it was needed and the right thing to do. Knowing that I had complete trust and confidence in my husband, even though literally everyone else thought it was a mistake to leave their county jobs and risk everything.
Deb: It was exciting and scary, as is common with starting anything new. There were lots of highs and lows. It helped so much to be doing this with good friends. We were our own support system and we had good support from our extended family.
What were your tasks/responsibilities?
Pam: Mostly keeping the family afloat and working 12-hour days. I listened a lot as things progressed and helped with group home events when I could.
Deb: In the early days we spent a fair amount of time doing things for Aurora on weeknights and weekends in addition to Jim and Dave's "business hours." We were all on call 24/7. We had to fill shifts and respond to needs that came up. For years.
One Saturday morning when Jim was out, I got a call from a consumer living in a Menomonie apartment who was worried there were bugs in their kitchen. I packed up our little guy and some extra supplies and went there to find there were none. But it ended up to be a nice visit. And they had a nice, clean kitchen!
It was not uncommon at all for us to get phone calls from consumers about problems and issues in the early days. A day off was seldom a day off.
Happily, we still get phone calls from one consumer who has moved to Minnesota just to talk and catch up! And he loves to call when the Packers lose.
What did you enjoy most?
Pam: The absolute joy in watching the consumers develop their own family within Aurora. Also watching the wonderful staff grow in knowledge and skills as they provided great services.
Deb: More than anything, I loved seeing consumers out in public, engaging in activities we all do, like shopping. Since I had worked with some of these people in an institutional setting before their group home placement, I was able to witness what a difference community placement makes in one's life.
It's so impressive in these past few years to see how large and awesome the staff is. Whether it's a leadership gathering or company picnics, we come away thinking that the people that work for Aurora are skilled, energetic, and have the best interests of the consumer at heart. Always.
Was it too much?
Pam: Financially when the state through the MCOs started dramatically reducing funds and impacting services. Also when dishonest people blamed Aurora to benefit financially.
Deb: The responsibility of it all weighed heavily sometimes. Worrying about the safety and well-being of all the consumers and staff has, admittedly, kept me up at night.
Your impact:
Pam: Support Dave and listen to new ideas and having deep pride in this great company and its employees.
Deb: I don't feel as if I have a huge impact now. There is such amazing work being done by all staff. I do love reading about events and staff on social media, reading REALiving and seeing everyone at Aurora gatherings. When the company was small, I knew everyone. Unfortunately, I do not now. That's truly unfortunate for me because I know there are some dedicated employees who are taking idea of Aurora forward every day.
Additional Comments:
Pam: As the company grew, I was very involved in the annual DD Conference working with Avis every year.
Deb: During the early years, Aurora hired many UW-Stout students. It was and continues to be a joy to see these students take on professional roles with Aurora after graduation. Also, there are children of Aurora staff who have worked and continue to work for Aurora in various roles. I love that!
The first residents to 8th Street were individuals who had significant emotional/behavioral challenges. Many systems had given up on them already, but Aurora took them and created a home and routine for each person that was tailored specifically for them. It was truly "people first." The diagnosis and past were secondary to what the future could be for each person. And the office was in that home, so Jim and Dave were there every single day making sure that the vision was being played out.
The other family/Aurora memory I have is around 1996, when Jim had a caseload of Aurora people he would manage. Because I was teaching on the days he visited his people, he would take Jake along with him and Jake got to be good friends with the people who lived in the Menomonie apartments. This story is probably not unique to many people who work with Aurora. Our families get to be part of the larger Aurora family!
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Featured Team
— by Marni Waznik —
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This month, we feature Employee Services.
Your Employee Services Team is comprised of 12+ staff who are here to support our staff members, consumers, and sites. You can reach us best by contacting your office admin staff or the Corporate office (888.261.5585) and letting them know the reason for your call so you can be directed to the right person!
Several of us support the “employee experience,” which encompasses recruitment, application screening, interviews, references, onboarding, employee development, performance management, employee coaching, complaint/grievance investigation and resolution, leave administration (FMLA, Leave of Absence), disability accommodation, EAP liaison, safety and ergonomics program administration and compliance, Workers’ Compensation administration, employee fun days (chocolate chip cookie day is approaching!).
A few of us assist in Consumer Rights issues, including rights violation investigations and resolution, abuse/neglect/exploitation investigations and reporting; consumer grievance investigation and reporting.
Our Marketing and Communications duo are responsible for the creation and analysis of marketing and advertising campaigns and materials, social media content development and analysis; sourcing vendors of SEOs or other platforms to get Aurora’s word out in the marketplace; the Loop; REALiving publications and activities.
Some of us are responsible for general business administration processes, such as data management, personnel file management, regulatory compliance, background checks and health records, training registration and record management, general site support (you know—shopping, supplies, etc.), policy development and administration, staying on top of employment laws to assure we are in compliance.
Maintenance also falls within our purview: repair and maintenance, (sometimes construction) of offices, centers, sites, vehicles, and safety monitoring.
Our goal is to provide a better employment experience for our staff and a safe and healthy living environment for our consumers!
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Two more Aurora picnics are coming up this month. Hope to
see you there!
Central/Western Region
Tuesday, June 20
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wakanda Park Pavilion
Menomonie, WI
La Crosse Region
Thursday, June 29
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Iva Brown shelter in Van Ripper Park
206 Riders Club Road
Onalaska, WI
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Our BEST Employees for the month of May, and winning $150, are ... Donna Como from direct support and Kevin Crowell from management! Congratulations and thanks for bringing your BEST!
Nominees for the month of MAY were:
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Molly Barnhardt
Carter Baures
Mikala Bugge
Nancy Campbell-Kelz
Kevin Crowell
Sue Hertz
Jocelyn Holder
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Amanda Lunde
Latisha Madison
Brooke Oelke
Ryan Overhouse
Lasonja Stephens
Jen Tenner
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Names were drawn from the pool of nominees who spoke with us about their employment experience at Aurora. Thanks to each of our nominees for the above and beyond work you do to support our consumers and clients! You are the BEST!
Once nominated, employees will remain eligible for the bonus drawing throughout the year.
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401K Open Enrollment is here! |
If you are currently eligible and would like to participate, act fast! Open enrollment ends June 30th. Contributing a little now can make a big difference later!
Contact Jessica Checkalski at 715-235-1839 or jcheckalski@auroraservices.com for your enrollment forms.
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The National Safety Council focuses on four areas of safety during the month of June. Below are some tips for creating a safe environment whether you are at work, home, or out and about.
Emergency Preparedness
- Develop an emergency plan
- Stay informed – regularly monitor local news, weather reports, and emergency alerts.
- Practice emergency drills
- Engage with Community Resources
Slips, Trips and Falls
- Watch where you are going. Distracted walking is on the rise for people of all ages
- Use non-skid mats or appliqués in the bath and shower
- Install grab bars
- Provide adequate lighting in every room and stairway
- Clear the floor – remove clutter, small furniture, pet gear, electrical cords, etc.
- Keep often used items accessible to avoid having to use a step stool or ladder
- Keep entryways free of clutter – use non skid rugs
- Wipe up any spills immediately
Stay Safe in the Heat
- Limit exposure outdoors during hot days
- Air conditioning is the best way to cool off
- Drink fluids, even if you don’t feel thirsty, and avoid alcohol
- Wear loose, lightweight clothing and a hat
- Replace salt lost from sweating by drinking a sports drink
- Avoid spending time outdoors during the hottest part of the day, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Wear sunscreen; sunburn affects the body’s ability to cool itself
- Pace yourself when you run or otherwise exert your body
- Eat light meals
Hazard Recognition
- Watch out for hazards you can’t see – not all hazards are obvious or visible
- Prioritize your mental healthy by maintaining healthy routines and reaching out to others when needed
- Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each day
- Avoid repetitive motions that can cause your body pain
- Use the 20-20-20 rule for screen time – for every 20 minutes looking at a screen, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds
- Avoid sitting for long periods of time – get up and move, stretch, look out a window
- Stay safe on the roads – obey the speed limit, wear seatbelts, do not talk on cell phones
- Take safety with you – wherever you are, consider the hazards unique to the location
S.A.F.E = Stop And Focus Entirely!
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Congratulations to Joyce Swenson from 095 in Spooner and Paul Okoroji from 083 in Eau Claire!
These team members have demonstrated their commitment to safety and have won a $100 bonus for having done so.
Keep working safely to be entered in next month's drawing.
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If you’re feeling exhausted and sluggish, and even simple tasks feel overwhelming to complete—or you find yourself so stressed out that you’re quick to get angry or frustrated—you might be experiencing burnout.
You may not realize you’ve hit burnout until it’s too late when you’ve crossed the line between “really tired” and “too exhausted to function.” Alternatively, you might be the type of personality who likes to stay busy, and might not recognize when you’re doing too much.
Burnout also happens when your work-life balance gets out of sync. Here are some signs of burnout:
Signs of burnout
Fatigue is a major symptom of burnout and can affect all areas of your life. You might feel like sleeping all the time, or find that even simple tasks take longer to complete.
Feeling apathetic or dissatisfied with your work. Everyone has days when they don’t want to get out of bed and go to work. When these feelings persist, it becomes a problem.
Tension headaches are a common burnout side effect.
Changes to your diet or sleep patterns. Humans are creatures of habit, and when we experience changes to these habits, it’s often the sign something is amiss. This could mean you’re eating more (or less) than usual, or not sticking to a healthy diet. Sleeping at different times of day, or feeling the need to get more (or fewer) ZZZs than usual, might be another sign.
Is burnout the same thing as depression?
The symptoms of burnout can often resemble the symptoms of more serious medical conditions. These can include mental health-related mood disorders. However, depression is a diagnosable mental health condition, whereas burnout is not. And in contrast to depression, burnout tends to be a response to a specific environment or situation—say, working more hours than usual, or dealing with something specific going on in your life.
What to do if you have burnout
Care for your mental health. Seeing a therapist is often a good first step to tackling burnout. Having a safe place to talk with someone who is not a family member, friend, or coworker, but someone who is impartial and is trained to give clinical feedback, can be life-changing.
Build breaks and personal check-ins into your schedule.
Exercise.
Practice mindfulness. The concept of mindfulness revolves around the idea of trying to be as emotionally present as possible. One way to do this is deep breathing.
Establish a daily routine. With work-life boundaries blurred, it can be difficult to put up strict divisions between your job and personal life. Establishing a healthy daily routine for sleep, diet, and non-work time is crucial.
Start to build—and enforce—work-life boundaries. Job burnout is so common because we often have a difficult time saying no. Disconnect from work when you are done for the day. Communicate with your boss or manager to explain the difficulties you’re experiencing. They may be able to help make a change in your schedule or responsibilities that could really make a difference.
Explore a hobby.
How to avoid burnout in the future
Although it can feel overwhelming in the moment, you can recover from burnout. It comes down to establishing a meaningful daily routine, and creating and maintaining boundaries so you can attend to your health and well-being while also attending to the responsibilities of your job or your personal life.
Once you recognize your burnout symptoms, you’re better able to take a break and recalibrate your actions if you do feel your life becoming out of sync.
Keeping the lines of communication open with your support systems can also help ward off burnout.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to balance.
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Found in Harvard Business Review, the following is a quick and easy way to track your burnout status.
Note: For a more reliable measurement to determine your burnout status, or see if you are struggling with depression instead, consult with a mental health professional or your doctor.
To do the checkup, write down how much stress, on a scale of 0 to 10 (0 being negligible stress, 10 being extreme stress), you experience from each of the six factors of burnout. For example, if you’re finding it tough to connect with colleagues after a long period of working from home, you might score community an 8. Conversely, you might rank workload a 2 if you have a good amount to do but find the number of tasks manageable. You can use the table that follows to try this activity out.
Your score—the sum of all the dimensions out of 60—will show how well you’re doing in the moment. While the total number of points is important, what’s more useful is your score in each of the six categories. It is likely that this activity will probably show that you’re healthy in some dimensions and unhealthy in others.
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This level of awareness can help you create a more targeted plan going forward. Let’s say your workload is hovering at a 9. Try making a list of all the activities your job entails. Pick three that let you contribute most to your team. This is your core work. From here, consider meeting with your boss or team to clarify what’s truly important and see if there’s a way to delegate or eliminate some of the tasks, and as a result, reduce your overall stress.
Some of these stress factors are more systemic than others and more difficult to tackle over a short period of time or through one-off conversations. Depending on your workplace, fairness can be a particularly tough nut to crack. The effort that it takes to create a more fair and equitable environment may even generate more stress than making the decision to leave a workplace all together. Ultimately, there is no universal answer for how to reduce these sources of chronic stress, but identifying them is an important first step.
This activity also works in reverse, to track how well you’re doing across the six areas. Given that the opposite of burnout is engagement, this activity may prove equally valuable to assess the more positive gains coming from your work.
For example, maybe you notice a low stress score in the reward category of the checkup. Thinking back, you realize it’s because you raised your consulting rates and are finally feeling as though your level of compensation is on par with your experience. Or maybe your values stress score is low because you recently advocated to lead a project that lets you connect with a subject area you love. Reflecting on why you scored low for stress in these categories can help reveal the decisions you made to get there so you can potentially apply those same steps again in the future.
Use your best judgement when doing the activity. Having a few factors out of whack is often enough to come face-to-face with burnout, particularly when you’re also experiencing the three characteristics of burnout: exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy.
Try doing this two-minute burnout checkup every few months. Or, if you're feeling some combination of cynical, exhausted, and ineffective, tally up your score even sooner.
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Welcome Aboard!
Please give our new hires a warm welcome!
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Britt Jenkins
Aurora Residential Alternatives
Community Living Assistant, La Crosse
Why I applied for the job: I love helping people.
What I will bring to the job: Love, caring, and fun.
Family: 4 children (3 girls, 1 boy) and a fiancé.
Hobbies/interests: Sports, hiking, road trips.
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Holli Benton
Aurora Residential Alternatives
Community Living Assistant, Menomonie
Why I applied for the job: I applied because I like helping people.
What I will bring to the job: I can bring a positive attitude to this job.
My background: I have a criminal justice degree and a forensic science degree.
Family: I have 2 sisters and a mom. I also have a dog named Koda.
Hobbies/interests: I love to watch movies.
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Antonia Green
Aurora Residential Alternatives
Mental Health Technician, Chippewa Falls
Why I applied for the job: I've worked in a group home for a while now and want to pursue related opportunities.
What I will bring to the job: Kindness and compassion.
My background: Brotoloc group homes; prelaw at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Hobbies/interests: Law, Taylor Swift.
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John Reed
Aurora Vocational Services
Vocational Coordinator, Menomonie
Why I applied for the job: Because it gives me the opportunity to give back to my community by helping those who may be underserved in our society.
What I will bring to the job: Life experience, positive attitude, and a warm personality.
My background: I like work that is challenging but interesting.
Family: I love my family and my pets, and enjoy spending time with my small circle of friends.
Hobbies/interests: Filmmaking, gaming, and hanging out with my wife. A perfect evening involves pizza, Netflix, and definitely cheesecake.
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Regan Thomas
Aurora Residential Alternatives
Mental Health Technician, Chippewa Falls
Why I applied for the job: To gain experience while I study to take my NCLEX.
What I will bring to the job: A positive attitude.
My background: I have 2 years of clinical experience while in nursing school, and I have also worked as a nurse tech. I have also worked as a nanny, and I taught swim lessons for 5 years.
Family: My mom, dad, and sister all live in Minnesota. I live in Eau Claire with my cat, George. :)
Hobbies/interests: Spending time with friends. Going to the beach. Going to concerts.
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Josephine Harvey
Aurora Vocational Services
Employment Specialist, Eau Claire
Why I applied for the job: Working with an individual that I work with at her home. I'm excited to watch her gain independence and confidence!
What I will bring to the job: I am a positive and confident coworker.
My background: I am currently a student at UW-EC studying social work. I'll be entering my senior year this fall.
Family: My mom and dad live nearby, as does my younger brother. Our two dogs live with my mom and dad.
Hobbies/interests: I really like drawing and art in general. I've recently gotten into rock climbing/bouldering!
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Logan Lutz
Aurora Residential Alternatives
Community Living Assistant, Stevens Point
Why I applied for the job: I enjoy helping others with an enthusiasm and making a difference in people's lives.
What I will bring to the job: I will bring my positive attitude and selflessness to make everyone's day. I want to bring a safe and respectful environment where nobody feels left out.
My background: I have worked at an athletic club, intramural sports, front desk of residencies, ground crew, youth baseball coach. I enjoy being active as I run for UW-Stevens Point cross country and track team.
Family: I am the youngest of 3 children (brother and sister are college graduates). My parents live just outside of Milwaukee.
Hobbies/interests: I love being competitive and enjoy many outdoor activities. Running, biking, hiking, and baseball are a few things.
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Destiny Richardson
Aurora Vocational Services
Vocational Coordinator, Eau Claire
Why I applied for the job: I applied for this job because I want to make a difference in someone's day.
What I will bring to the job: I will bring an uplifting and positive mood along with passion and a strong work ethic.
My background: I have gone from a CNA, to a PCA, to a wedding coordinator, to a nanny, to a DSP, and to a preschool teacher's aide. I recently graduated from UW-EC with a degree in psychology.
Family: I have a biracial family with a Hispanic background with 4 siblings, 1 nephew, and 4 nieces with another on the way. (2 brothers, 2 sisters)
Hobbies/interests: I love to go hammocking, go on hikes, go to the Eau Claire Express baseball games, and I just started getting into reading.
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Chase Davis
Aurora Vocational Services
Vocational Coordinator, Eau Claire
Why I applied for the job: I want to make a difference and feel good about the work I do.
What I will bring to the job: Great attitude and a passion to help others.
My background: I worked a lot with technology, but am eager to start this new path.
Hobbies/interests: I love sports (especially baseball, football and baseball). I enjoy many different types of music, as well as going to different shows around Eau Claire.
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Justin Judkins
Aurora Residential Alternatives
Community Living Assistant, Eau Claire
Why I applied for the job: To be a better empath and to help others.
What I will bring to the job: Patience, understanding, reliability.
My background: Factories and fast food, reading, writing, designing.
Family: A mom and dad.
Hobbies/interests: Reading, writing, designing, hiking, fishing.
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Hannah Boda
Aurora Residential Alternatives
Community Living Assistant, Baldwin
Why I applied for the job: I love working with the elderly/disabled and hearing the stories they have to tell.
What I will bring to the job: I try to be upbeat and fun.
My background: I've worked in health care for about 2 and a half years, and I love it. I love horses and dogs.
Family: I have 1 younger sister.
Hobbies/interests: I hunt, fish, and ride horses occasionally.
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Brett (Quinn) Waznik
Aurora Residential Alternatives
Community Living Assistant, Menomonie
Why I applied for the job: I enjoy helping people and have wanted to get into the behavioral health field.
What I will bring to the job: A positive attitude and a willingness to assist.
My background: My interests include psychology/behavioral health and meeting new people.
Hobbies/interests: My hobbies include reading on a warm day, and photography.
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We Have the BEST Staff
During the month of JUNE, we are celebrating these anniversaries!
Aurora Management
Rebecca Dennis (2 years), Linda Aton (31 years), Hannah Abbiehl (1 year), Amanda Rageth (14 years), April Solberg (7 years), Angela Mandera (16 years), James Showalter (5 years), Grace Anderson (1 year), Mikala Bugge (1 year), Cyndi Johnson (22 years), Andrea Olson (19 years), Justin Boiteau (17 years), Orlando Simon (13 years), and Melaine Lepak (10 years).
Aurora Direct Care Staff
Linda Liebzeit (23 years), Sherry Lew (4 years), Vincent Gisacho (7 years), Barbara Gliniecki (1 year), Amy Beatty (1 year), Jami Sonnenberg (1 year), Allison Cuddihy (1 year), Latisha Madison (1 year), Dianna Raspiller (3 years), Amanda Tomaszewski (7 years), Caleb Brison (10 years), Duncan Crosby (3 years), Jacqueline Kufahl (19 years),
Jessica Effertz (12 years), Daniel Azarshin (1 year),
and Kayla Benisch (1 year).
When we combine all of these years of service,
we get 254 YEARS of experience at Aurora!
Thank you for sharing your time and talents with us!
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