0:00 It's funny because even in life, like when you get something that has such a really, really low low, it's bound to have such a really, really high like it says it just works out like with everything like that. 0:17 [Sound: cafeterie noise] Thank you for doing the dishes. 0:27 It's early morning at a house in Alliston. Ontario, and people are cleaning up after breakfast. People with mental and physical disabilities are participating in a day program, one that helps them socialize with others and perform everyday tasks. Developmental support workers are there to help them cook, do arts and crafts, exercise, and take them on trips to places like the museum or a park. For Andrew Fetchiolo becoming a support worker was the dream. 0:57 My first experience with developmental services came at a very young age, I would say. My father has been in the field for a very, very long time and I guess if I were to backtrack a long time ago, it would be when I was actually 10 years old. 1:14 Andrews father Vito has been in the developmental services sector for over 30 years, and is the executive director of the community living organization in Alliston. One that supports people living with disabilities. Drawing inspiration from his father Andrew first got into the industry at 16 years old when he started doing respite work. Wthin this role Andrew provided at home support for a person with disabilities for a few hours each week. 1:36 When I was like, hey, this is what I want to do. I had actually worked with an individual who, for about 10 years had not said a word to his to his whole family, he was completely nonverbal, didn't speak. It took me about six months, and he was talking with his family, completing full sentences, laughing do all showing basically showing emotion and like that made me feel so good. That was where the love really, really started. 2:05 After this experience, Andrew became more invested in the field, he worked as a summer student at a community living organization where he supported several people with vastly different diagnoses. When Andrew got accepted to Ryerson University in Toronto during the summer of 2014, he then applied for a full time support worker position at an organization just outside the city. 2:24 During my interview, interviewing process, I did let them know that where my strengths were. Seeing as I was very young, I was able, I was strong, I was willing to kind of put myself out there, and I wanted to, you know, move up in the industry in the world and the company in general. So you know, if they see someone like me, someone who's ready to get right down to it, their initial thought was, let's put them in the hardest area. hardest part of this, this company. 2:54 Andrew got placed in one of the organization's most behaviorally difficult homes. Of those who live there. Their diagnoses range from being nonverbal to having autism or schizophrenia. Many of them have more than one diagnosis. A typical workday for Andrew begins at 9am. He arrives at the house and meets with the overnight staff to see how the night went. Then Andrew will meet with his team during which he'll be assigned to the person that he's supporting for that day. Depending on who he supports. Andrews responsibilities will vary. Usually he'll accompany his person to day program, perhaps help them water the plants, do arts and crafts, and meet with other individuals. During his shift. He's also required to make lunch and dinner. 3:32 People who need additional care, they usually follow very, very, very, very specific, drawn out plans of the day that have been in place for years and years and years. That's where most people thrive the most. But one thing during your day goes goes wrong, if you're in traffic for too much too long for 15 minutes longer than there used to, you know, there's trouble. 3:58 By trouble Andrew means that the person will get angry or agitated and express a behavior. Typically, most people will throw a tantrum, but in extreme cases, they can become physically aggressive. In an instant Andrew's day can go from good to horrible, keeping him constantly on edge. 4:14 Definitely a lot, a lot of anxiety going into work, especially when you know times were tough. It was, you know, don't get me wrong. when times were tough, it was extremely rewarding to kind of get through that. But at the same time, it was like oh my god, you know, I have another day of work. There's like, four or five more days of work. Like how am I going to get through that every single day you go to work and you're like, hey, I'm essentially having a panic attack right now you know what I mean? That can get mentally exhausting, emotionally exhausting. 4:43 After a year and a half of working a person in Andrews home began experiencing crisis after crisis for weeks on end, causing Andrews anxiety to worsen. 4:52 I know I remember one time, he was upstairs and he has this this thing we're listening to music, it really calms him down. But this specific day, something had happened. We just heard this smash. We went upstairs, the entire room was trashed. We had to kind of go and lock ourselves in the in the staff room, making sure everyone else is safe and he just went and destroyed everything the entire house. The entire kitchen was just covered in his own blood. It is like kind of scar like scarring to see someone hit his head off a door for like 30 seconds straight that I found that I actually felt like I was in a horror movie. 5:31 It was then that Andrew began to question whether this career was the right path for him. 5:35 So it's like, at that point for me, it was just like, wow, this is not essentially what I signed up for. I mean, I did it to help people I did it to you know, aid in in people's progress. But when you go to work every single day, and it's almost just like, whatever you do is not progressing. It's just escalating or going downwards. It becomes a thing where you're like, Okay, this is this for me, like, do I really love this? Is there is this is this what I'm supposed to do? 6:07 One day during this extended crisis period, Andrew walked up to his manager at the end of his shift, and without giving it a moment's thought he quit. 6:16 It wasn't just the fear, though, and the aggression and that really told me to stop as well. I mean, you know, I consider myself to be a kind and loving person. I consider myself a patient person, but you know, I got to the point where I felt like I wasn't doing a good job anymore. You know, I wasn't treating the people that I was working for originally with the amount of respect that I should have been. I didn't think I would burn out this quickly. I mean, honestly, I really didn't. 6:48 Someone who understands the stress of the job well as Tory McClellan, who has worked as a senior support worker for eight years, she's actually employed at the organization that Andrew's dad manages. I told her about Andrew situation, how he felt like he had given up, but she saw it completely different. 7:05 I respect people like that, if you can admit that, this isn't for me, and I'm not doing what I should be doing in order to give these people the best support that they need. Then yeah, it's time to go and that's not a bad thing. It's important to know when you need to take a step back, in your job in life and in everything. And it's good to be able to admit that because again, a lot of people don't because they're scared, they're scared of failing. I don't think that's failing at all. I think that's being very successful and knowing who you are. 7:34 Andrew and Tory are just a few of many support workers who know the strain of the job well. Burnout is likely in any health care profession, but especially within the developmental services sector. The organizations that Andrew and Tory work at are experiencing a staffing shortage, meaning workers are being stretched thin. The reality is many end up leaving to pursue other careers. 7:55 What I can say though, is I'm way happier now. Which is great. It took a while but I was able to just take a moment, understand where I where I am at life accept it and, you know, do things that I enjoy. 8:09 After leaving his job, Andrew took some time to reevaluate his life and the career he wanted. He's currently finishing up his last semester in Ryerson University's Business Technology Program. As for what he'll do after he says he's not certain, maybe he'll travel before settling down. Either way, he's happily embracing the unknown.