Long term care has a story to tell. It's a story that will make you feel good. It's a story that gives us reason to celebrate the human spirit. But it's not a story at all. It's life -- real life -- in long term care facilities across the nation. Within the pages of More Memorable Moments WAHSA has captured many personal accounts about ordinary people who provide extraordinary care in an environment that too few people really understand. The Wisconsin Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (WAHSA) proudly shares these articles to provide you an opportunity to experience how much care there is in long term care. After reading this book, we hope you realize that long term care is a way of life for those who live here and for those who work here. We invite you to share this way of life, to understand what we are about, and to pay tribute to the thousands of individuals across the nation who dedicate their professional lives to care for the frail and the elderly in a personal way. WAHSA extends our most sincere appreciation to each person who submitted a treasured memory for us to share through this publication. We also thank the 1999 Awards Committee for dedicating their time, talents and efforts that have made this publication possible. We hope you enjoy this caring environment we call long term care. WAHSA is selling More Memorable Moments for $10 per copy. If you would like to receive an order form for this publication, please click and E-mail your specific request to the WAHSA office. |
This Week's Featured Article
What We Gain
There was a resident in the community based residential facility that was attached to the nursing home in which I worked. He always was very observant of the comings and goings to the facility. About three years ago, my son started coming to work with me, during school vacations and breaks, to work in the maintenance department of the facility.
The resident watched day to day as my son and I came to work. He always would be watching out of his window and would raise his hand in a wave as we arrived. He became very attached to my son and always had some words of wisdom to share with him as he was growing up in the teen years. On days that my son did not come to work with me, the resident always asked about him, asking how school was going for him. He always told me, "You really have a great son. You have done a fine job in raising him."
One weekend, when my son was working, the resident told him to stop in after he was done. My son did so and the resident had fixed him a snack and wanted him to watch the baseball game with him, which he did.
That same Christmas, he invited my son in to see the decorations he had put up in his room, along with sharing another snack with him. My son gained wisdom from this elderly man each time he visited. When my son left for college, he often inquired about his special friend. Shortly after that last Christmas, the resident passed away. We both think of him often and reflect on how he helped shape the life of my son with wisdom of the ages.
Patti Freund, Director of Medical Records
Fond du Lac Lutheran Home, Inc.
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Wisconsin Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
204 South Hamilton Street
Madison, WI 53703
Telephone: (608)255-7060 FAX:(608)255-7064