My first co-op experience at Antioch is at Coleman Professional Services, a nonprofit community behavioral health agency that provides comprehensive behavioral health, residential, employment, and supportive services to the people of Ohio, regardless of their ability to pay. As a housing tech, it is my responsibility to care for my client and their daily needs. They require assistance completing daily house chores such as cleaning and cooking, as well as grocery shopping, clearing out the clutter in their house that limits their mobility, and monitoring their health status. On an average day, I clean the dishes, take out the trash, do the laundry, sweep and mop the floor, fold clothes, clean the bathroom, and cook three meals. I try to clean the kitchen, living room, dining room, bathroom, and one of the bedrooms every day, in addition to maintaining any rooms I already cleared. Although it is difficult, I attempt to cook new and great-tasting food for my client and, on Fridays, I cook extra to leave leftovers for the weekend.
I also do the grocery shopping and work to keep my client’s budget in mind while shopping. There are small things to be fixed around the house, too, and I am pretty good at handling them. So far, I’ve fixed a printer, refurbished a chair, fixed a door frame and the bathtub, replaced a doorknob, and set up an organization system for my client’s card collection.
I have a lot more left to accomplish in order to achieve my goal of creating a safe and organized environment for my client, but this feels like a good start.
Photo credit: Paul Giannamore
