Writing on the Wall: Fall 2022

<strong>Writing</strong>
on the
Wall
Fall 2022
Chosen Family
A Happy Life at Home & On the Go. Page 7
3
Replenish, Rekindle, Reconnect
Staff Conference offers a chance for
training and networking
4 6
Regional Reconnection
Regional gatherings provide a time
for fun and fellowship
Reducing Risk Through Education
The Nursing Team uses education to lower
risk and help improve health outcomes

President’s Corner
John Weatherspoon
Welcome to another edition of <strong>Writing</strong>
on the Wall! This is a very special
issue focusing on reconnecting with
co-workers, the individuals we serve,
providers, and leaders around the
state. In addition, this has been a season
of reconnecting with our purpose
individually and as an agency.
In August a group of us from Wall
Residences were invited to meet with
the new Commissioner of DBHDS,
Nelson Smith, and the new Deputy
Commissioner, Ellen Harrison, in
Richmond. This provided us with
an opportunity to share the accomplishments
of Wall Residences, how
we serve local communities across
Virginia, and our plans for continuing
our mission moving forward. We
want to thank Commissioner Smith
and Deputy Commissioner Harrison
for their hospitality, for sharing their
vision, and for listening to ours.
In September, we held our first staff
retreat in Floyd since
2019. Over 100
managers and staff
joined us. During the
retreat, we had the
pleasure of hosting
Assistant Commissioner
of DBHDS,
Heather Norton, who
took time out of her
very busy schedule to
meet with our leadership
team and spend time talking
with a large number of staff about the
future of the settlement agreement and
developmental services. We appreciate
Christine Morris, Senior Licensing
Specialist, and Ashley Bennet, Lead
PA Consultant, joining us as well.
Perhaps one of the most important
changes over the last three months has
been the ability to begin to meet again
in person with our contracted providers
and the individuals in their services.
Throughout this newsletter you
will notice a significant focus on the
importance of those connections. As
always, thank you for all that you do!
2

Replenish, Rekindle, Reconnect
For the first time since before the
pandemic, Wall Residences staff were
able to gather in person for a Staff
Conference at the Floyd EcoVillage.
Held September 20 - 22, the event
combined team specific training,
cross-department strategic planning
discussion sessions, and activites
intended to provide a bit of respite.
Tuesday kicked off the event with
team building and training for the
Therapeutic Consultion, Applied
Behavioral Analysis, WRAP, and RN
Care Management teams. More staff
arrived at lunchtime. In the afternoon,
we heard from state representatives
from the Office of Licensing and
Division of Developmental Services,
as well as from Heather Norton, the
Assistant Comissioner from DBHDS.
Wednesday found staff sorted into
diverse groups to allow differing
experience and viewpoints to come
together as staff from various regions
and roles formed small discussion
groups. It was a day of open, transparent
sharing as we tackled the big
questions of what is working, what
creates frustrations and hurdles, and
brainstormed together for solutions.
The day closed with activity stations,
including a private concert by staff
member and singer/songwriter Emmaline
Hicks, who was recently featured
at FloydFest.
Thursday’s focus was Sponsored
Residential Services, with detailed
trainings provided on home studies,
compliance, and capacity evaluations
for Program Managers, Regional Coordinators,
Admissions & Marketing,
and the Quality Assurance Team.
While the training and small group
discussion formed the content
of the agenda, the real
key to the event was the
simple fact of being together
in person. Wall Residences
has grown remarkably in
the past several years and
for many staff, the conference
was the first chance
to interact with others as
more than just a face on
a screen. Both new and
longtime staff shared simply
being together and meeting those
they had not yet was meaningful
and appreciated. We are grateful
for this chance of time set aside to
replenish, rekindle, and reconnect!
~Angie Covington
3

Leadership
As an Employee Owned company,
Wall Residences has a Board
of Directors to provide agency
oversight. Serving on the board
are Founder Jack Wall (Chair),
John Weatherspoon (Vice Chair),
Co-founder Kamala Bauers
(Secretary), Carey Wrenn, Joe
Klein (former provider), and
Valerie Cooper (current provider).
Leadership is also provided by
our senior management team.
Several title changes were
recently made to better reflect
team member responsibilities.
John Weatherspoon
Chief Executive Officer
and President
Matthew Rosenbaum
Chief Financial Officer
Amanda Craig
Operations Officer
Western Region
Deanna Rennon
Operations Officer
Eastern Region
Regional Reconnection
With in person gatherings at last
feeling safe again, our regional coordinators
began planning events to
bring together individuals, providers,
back-up workers, and staff for fun and
fellowship. Central Virginia kicked
things off with an end of summer
Luau party, featuring a Kona Ice
Truck and photo booth. Our Roanoke,
New River Valley, and Southwestern
regions all enjoyed catered picnics.
The Staunton/Charlottesville region
gathered for lunch, live music, and
Kona Ice.
At all of these events, it was clear
the best part was the chance to catch
up in person with old friends and
aquaintances and to meet new ones.
After the isolation required for Covid
safety, spending time together is a
blessing we cannot take for granted!
Some regions have fall events still to
look forward to as this issue goes to
press, including fall crafts and games
for the Harrisonburg/Winchester
region and a Halloween party for the
Richmond region. Whether past, present,
or still to come, we are grateful
for the chance to reconnect!
Alex Jackson, Director of
Admissions; Sara Viers, Director
of WRAP Services; and Heather
Cromer, Director of Therapeutic
Services complete our senior
management team.
www.wallresidences.com
4

Reducing Risk Through Education
Wall Residences continues to exceed
expectations for quality care. One
way we do this is looking for opportunities
where training and education
can better equip Providers to handle
the most common incident types. Our
Registered Nurse Care Management
team is key to these efforts. In reviewing
incident reports, our Compliance
Coordinator discovered the highest
percentage of medical incidents
were falls, choking, urinary tract
infections, and seizures. The
Compliance Coordinator, Operating
Officers, and Lead RN
Care Manager collaborated on
a method to improve health and
safety outcomes through greater
understanding by Providers on
prevention methods. Due to the potential
fatality, choking was chosen to
be addressed first.
Wall Residences RN Care Managers
uphold the recommendations given by
the Office of Integrated Health (OIH)
at the Department of Behavioral
Health and Developmental Services
(DBHDS). The protocols used in our
services are based on those recommendations
as well as the training of
the Direct Support Providers.
For this project, the Lead RN Care
Manager contacted the Office of
Integrated Health for their Choking
Prevention Health and Safety Alert
and test, then developed a presentation
for the RN Care Managers to
provide in the Wall Residences Provider
Meetings statewide. Throughout
June and July, the RN Care Managers
who support each region attended
“
The educational presentation identified
many risk factors for choking that staff
and providers reported not knowing
before the training.
Provider Meetings and offered consistent
training. Our goal was to improve
awareness and skills of the Providers
and Program Management staff who
assure safety in the homes. The educational
presentation indentified many
risk factors for choking that staff
and providers reported not knowing
before the training. This supported the
need for advanced training but also
led to more deeply investigating how
to prevent choking in Wall Residences
services.
The next step was comparing the
training information to the Support
Intensity Scale (SIS) assessment
and the Support Coordinator’s Risk
Assessment Tool used in developing
plans of care. It was determined
these tools did not address the risks
as determined by OIH, and were
often incomplete, therefore would not
adequately identify potential risks for
choking in individuals. The Lead
RNCM also noticed risks were
inconsistently identified in some
plans for support. This showed an
opportunity for a new tool to be
developed.
An Aspiration/Choking Risk
Assessment tool was developed
from the OIH materials, consistent in
structure with the Fall Risk Assessment
already in use by Wall Residences.
The RNCM team reviewed
and edited the document, which is
now with the Quality Assurance team
for initial review and determination of
next steps.
Together, through education and plan
development, we can prevent some
future health emergencies!
~Kevyn Burn
Know Someone Who Could Benefit from Our Services?
The Wall Residences Admissions team has staff in all parts of the state to respond to your referral needs and
answer questions about the services we offer. We work quickly to find the right match for longterm success
while striving for the quickest placement in services possible. The Admissions Team is here to serve you.
Alex Jackson
Admissions
Director
(434) 610-7578
Emily Eagle
Central Virginia, Danville,
Charlottesville, Staunton/
Waynesboro/Lexington
(434) 907-5067
Ashea Green
Northern
Region
(202) 760-6411
Brooke Keen
Roanoke, NRV,
SWVA
(540) 541-8563
Lisa Schalasny
Eastern
Region
(804) 380-4309

Chosen
Family
Walking across the lawn toward
fenced off pastures, two huge horses
can be seen in the distance. In
the closer paddock is a small stable.
Shannon’s voice rings out as she
talks about 34 year old horse, Theo,
who she helps care for. Suddenly, the
horse bursts out of the stable, neighing
excitedly and shaking his head.
While there are seven people strolling
toward the horses, it is markedly
clear who Theo is delighted to see
as he beelines to Shannon, nuzzling
her shoulder and neighing contentedly.
The feeling is mutual. Shannon,
whose lifelong dream has been to
learn to ride horses, shares that when
she came to visit the Dyers four years
ago and learned there were horses on
the property, it immediately sealed the
deal for her. “I said, ‘That’s it! I’m
moving in!’” she recalls.
The loving relationship between Theo
and Shannon is not unique. Indeed,
that comfort and closeness are visible
between all four individuals, Providers
Jim and Diana Dyer, and primary
backup worker Holly Brooks. Shannon,
a four year household member, is
the most recent addition to the happy
bunch who call this peaceful property
home. Mamie moved in twelve years
ago when the Dyers
first became Sponsored
Residential Providers.
David has lived here
six years and Irvin for
five, after the Dyers enlarged
their home and
moved to group home
status. Holly joined
their staff in 2014 after
“Diana wouldn’t stop
texting!”
several times a year. Some trips and
traditions are annual favorites, such as
a spring trip to the same home on the
Emerald Isle beachfront and buying
coordinating souvenir or holiday
tshirts. Others are new experiences to
explore together. A trip to the Bahamas
five years ago fulfilled Mamie’s
life dream: to swim with the dolphins!
A more recent cruise took them to
Bermuda this year.
For all the fun and adventure, the
four individuals are quite upfront
about why they love living here:
respect and relationships. David
notes, “I like Diana! I like Jim!
He’s my buddy! Like my dad! Holly
is grandma!” Mamie elaborates,
“They’re almost like a mom and
dad... my second mom and dad,
you know?” Shannon adds, “They
help me out a lot. I like to go places
together. Like family.” Irvin puts it
simply, “They’re nice to me.”
Bottom: Mamie, Back-Up Worker Holly Brooks, David.
Middle: Shannon and dog Sadie.
Top: Diana Dyer, Irvin, Jim Dyer.
Words tumble over
each other as all eagerly
describe everyday
activities at home and
in the community, with
jobs, WRAP, and day
support. This predictable
and comforting
pattern of routine is
punctuated by travel
adventures together
7
Indeed, all seven people are full of
far more affirming words about one
another than can fit into one article.
This is a home filled with love and
care. “All of us care about each other.
If Irvin is worried about something or
needs someone to talk to... same thing
with Shannon,” Mamie explains. She
sums it up perfectly, as three other
heads nod. “I love living here.”
~Angie Covington

October 2nd marked the second
anniversary of Wall Residences being
a 100% ESOP company. October is
also Employee Ownership Awareness
Month.
ESOP stands for Employee Stock
Ownership Program: a company’s
employees own shares of its stock.
The stock is sold back to the company
when someone leaves or retires,
and the profits are paid out to employees
as retirement benefits.
October is ESOP Month!
Wall Residences was founded and
owned by Jack Wall and Kamala
Bauers. Jack and Kamala wanted to
assure the company would further the
values and practices they established,
after they retired. This may not have
happened if Wall Residences had
been sold to another company.
Some of the Wall Residences Employee Owners gathered in Floyd at the Staff
Conference in September for training and networking.
Establishing the ESOP was a win-win
situation! Employees carry on the
original company values of meaningful
relationships, quality of life,
creativity, innovation, and personal
growth for themselves and the indi-
viduals in our services. It’s wonderful
for employees, who earn retirement
benefits at no cost to them. The people
in our services benefit as well, with
lower staff turnover due to the ESOP’s
structure encouraging longevity.
Digital Bonus: In Their Own Words
We celebrated the important work of DSPs during Direct Support Professionals Week in September. Wall Residences
DSPs say it best in their own words! We asked our DSP team: what does being a DSP mean to you. Their answers are
insightful and it’s our privilege to share them with you. Direct Support Professionals: truly the key to it all!