When Christina Davis began a new career last year as a caregiver at Verland, she knew she’d be caring for a very special group of people. What she didn’t realize was how much she’d be cared for in return.
Davis spent 21 years working as a certified nursing aide in a local nursing home before making a career change at the age of 56. After her mother passed, Davis realized that she needed to surround herself with people who truly cared about the individuals they served. An online search led her to Verland.
“I love the connection, the caring,” Davis said. “Verland does care. That is one of the main things that I’ve noticed about them. I see it in the way they treat their individuals.”
Verland’s mission is to provide individualized care and ongoing support for people with complex physical and intellectual challenges. Its main campus, located at 212 Iris Road in Sewickley, offers residential housing and vocational training services to individuals with a wide range of abilities and needs.
After a two-week training period that focused on everything from safely administering medication and preparing food to transporting individuals in passenger vans, Davis began caring for a group of four women living in a residential home in Aliquippa last November.
“I am single with no children,” Davis said. “This job gives me the opportunity to get out of the house. I had periods when I was depressed, being home all by myself after my mom died. I didn’t smile a lot before coming here, but now I’m ecstatic. I feel like I’m making a difference here.”
Like Davis, Nichole Matijak also found her way to Verland after her mother passed. Matijak, 36, is one of the individuals living in the home where Davis works. Matijak moved in four years ago and enjoys playing games and hanging out with her roommates and her caregiver.
When asked what she enjoys most about spending time with Davis, Matijak grinned.
“We laugh a lot and giggle and make silly noises,” she said. “She’s fun. She comes into work, but sometimes she’s in pain.”
Davis has fibromyalgia, a condition that causes chronic pain. On days when the pain is at its worst, Davis finds comfort from Matijak’s concern.
“She cares about me when I come to work in pain,” Davis said. “She’ll say, ‘Luv ya!’ I don’t have anybody else in my life who says that. It’s very nice to have someone tell you that they love you, for whatever reason it may be. It’s nice to be appreciated by the individuals here at Verland.”
That feeling of appreciation is something that senior leaders at Verland work hard to foster among their staff of 500 direct support professionals.
“They do God’s work,” said Dr. Mari DiMatteo, chief operating officer for Verland. “Every day, they are impacting lives by serving the most vulnerable members of society.”
Many of Verland’s executives began their careers as caregivers themselves, including DiMatteo. She was motivated to serve after growing up as a teenager in the foster care system. When she learned about Verland, she fell in love with the mission.
“The people here are so special,” she said. “You can never have a bad day. They will recenter you. The individuals at Verland are angels on earth. Your worst day is nothing compared to what they go through with smiles on their faces.”
As rewarding as it is to work in a special community like this, Verland’s chief executive officer, Leland Sapp, acknowledged that caregiving isn’t always easy. A former caregiver himself, Sapp knows firsthand the challenges that direct support professionals deal with on a daily basis.
“There were times I’d work a hundred hours a week because of the workforce shortage,” Sapp said, describing his early days as a caregiver. “When you’re working that many hours and that many days, you really have to dig deep.”
That boots-on-the-ground experience allowed Sapp to develop an appreciation for the frontline staff who are caring for the individuals that Verland serves. With National Caregivers Day being celebrated this year on Feb. 20, Sapp wants his employees to know how much they matter to the mission.
“We want our team members to experience exceptional care as well,” Sapp said. “We try hard to listen to our caregivers and advocate for them. We pay at the higher end of the scale for direct service professionals. We give them the resources they need to do their work because we appreciate them and are thankful for them.”
That level of exceptional care is only possible due to strong support from community members such as Daniela Wilps. As chair of Verland’s board of directors, Wilps has a personal connection to the organization’s mission. Her uncle lived at Verland for more than 34 years until he died in 2015.
“Verland’s focus is on the individuals that we serve and our employees,” Wilps said. “Every time the board makes a decision, we ask ourselves, ‘How does this benefit the people who live and work here?’ ”
This overarching emphasis on the well-being of the individuals and team members is what truly enables the organization to thrive. It’s a mission that has been enthusiastically embraced by the community, as evidenced by Verland’s recent expansion of new homes and living options, including a new life-sharing program for individuals who are very capable but can’t live on their own.
“Life-sharing is like foster care for adults,” Wilps said. “It’s a program designed for individuals to be placed in homes with families in the local community. This new option provides more housing choices for adults with disabilities and gives them a family to share their lives with.”
This deeper level of family belonging and community integration is the true heart and soul behind Verland’s mission, and its CEO wants everyone to know that we all have a part to play in helping our world become more accepting of individuals with differences.
“I challenge people out in the community to open your eyes to this world of people,” Sapp said. “When you see someone in a wheelchair, have the courage to smile, wave and say hello. So many people with developmental disabilities only get to interact with their caregivers. It’s a lonely existence. Just take a risk, open your eyes and reach out to somebody that God puts in your path.”
