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Why Self-Care Matters: How To Care for Yourself While Caring for Others

Date:
Tuesday, May 23, 2023
Time:
2 PM ET
Duration:
1 hour
 

Direct support professionals (DSPs) provide support and care to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Though DSPs care about the people they support, this work can be physically and emotionally exhausting, leading to fatigue, stress, and, ultimately, burnout.

Due to this, DSPs and IDD staff must understand the risk factors associated with burnout and strategies to support their overall health and well-being. These strategies and their implementation will provide opportunities to improve the quality of care to persons served while optimizing your quality of life and work-life balance.

Join us May 23, 2023, at 2 PM ET, to hear Christina Marsack-Topolewski discuss the importance of recognizing, understanding, and addressing self-care while working in a caring profession and illustrate strategies to prevent burnout and promote work-life balance.

In this webinar you’ll learn:

  • How to identify risk factors for burnout, fatigue, and stress
  • Strategies to support your overall health and well-being
  • What DSPs can do to prevent these conditions and promote work-life balance

Christina N. Marsack-Topolewski, PhD, LMSW

Associate Professor, School of Social Work
Eastern Michigan University

Christina Marsack-Topolewski is an associate professor of Social Work in the College of Health and Human Services at Eastern Michigan University. She received a Bachelor of Science in Special Education, specializing in Cognitive Impairments, from Wayne State University. She trained under a specialized fellowship at the University of Michigan, receiving her Master of Social Work and specializing in Aging from the University of Michigan. Marsack-Topolewski received her PhD in Social Work with a dual title in Gerontology from Wayne State University. She has worked with individuals with various intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) for over 20 years. Her research and 50+ publications focus on individuals with IDD, their caregivers, advance care planning, service delivery, and service utilization. Marsack-Topolewski has led multiple grant-funded programs tailoring services to individuals with IDD, older adults, and chronic illnesses. In 2019, she was appointed to the National Task Group on Intellectual Disability and Dementia Practices. Over the past three years, she has provided testimony at the state level (Michigan) to advocate for vulnerable adults, such as individuals with IDD.