Amy is an Occupational Therapist. About her job, she writes:
I couldn’t have found a more suitable profession for me. Being a therapist completes me in ways I could never have imagined. I’m so grateful that I persevered through the schooling. Not only is it the most flexible job I could have dreamed for as a mother, I feel like I actually make a difference with my patients.
Today the Post of the Day Award is bestowed upon Amy because she wrote a simple, concise, but powerful post on August 29, 2008, about The Old Lady Down the Street.
She could not have picked a better photo to accompany her writing. When I saw the woman’s face, I had to know what Amy was writing about her.1
As part of her professional duties, Amy checks on her elderly patients to assure that they are “safe in their home, both cognitively and physically.” All too often what she discovers is disturbing, at a minimum, and inherently dangerous to the health and well-being of the patient. Too many of our older citizens are living by themselves in deplorable conditions with no one checking in on them or taking steps to assure that they receive the assistance they need.
Amy and her fellow medical and social work professionals are folks for whom we must all be grateful. They are providing a critical service to the community and, in Amy’s case, doing so with a positive attitude and genuine desire to serve.
This is a subject near and dear to my heart, as well as so many other people who, like me, have watched their parents’ health decline to the point of losing their independence. I worried terribly about my mother when she lived by herself after my father died and I could not watch over her every day. Thankfully, she had wonderful neighbors who assisted her in many small, but significant ways at those times when I was working and caring for my own children. It also brought me peace of mind to know that they were watching out for her and would call me should there be an emergency of some sort.
We are all responsible for the care of those most vulnerable members of our community. So Amy urges her readers to be good neighbors by being aware of those who live around us and taking time from our busy schedules to check on their well-being. After all, “[i]t doesn’t take much time for you to be aware and help out a little bit to prevent these people from accidentally starving themselves or literally being forgotten to death,” she writes.
Amy is receiving the Post of the Day Award not only because of her professional endeavors, but also the service she has provided the blogosphere by writing about and reminding her readers that The Old Lady Down the Street could easily be a member of your family.
Job well done, Amy!
- Amy does not reveal the woman’s identity — or even tell her readers whether she knows the woman in the photo or not. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. The picture helps make the point of her article.
{ 1 comment }
what a lovely write-up! i can tell you’ve really been through my blog as you pulled together several posts into this one! thank you so much! I’m honored that you awarded me!
amy’s most recent post..The Old Lady Down The Street
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