KUDOS from Kelly

by Kelly McNamara

Ayele Sweety Akutu:
We have made it a practice to occasionally repeat ourselves by telling a story in this section about a caregiver who has been recognized in the past. In most cases, these are caregivers who have been with a client for a long-term period.

Sweety, as she is known by everyone and is clearly deserving of this name, is a remarkable young woman. After a few short term cases, she settled in with MT, a much beloved client who recently celebrated her 100th birthday. This involved 2 parties both with Sweetie at the center, celebrating along with the client for who she cared about and cared for so well over the past 18 months.

Sweety is a remarkable young woman. Well educated and bright, she came to this country from Ghana, planning to work for a few years to save money to return to school for work in her field of psychology. She has a great deal of knowledge about many areas of history, and enjoys continuous learning.

She is the one person who can match Tom, our resident historian for details about African history and continues to learn more about this country’s history every day.

Her client MT is a remarkable and healthy lady at 100. Her doctor, her friends, he family members all remark on how amazing she looks. Still living in the home that she loves, MT and Sweetie enjoy chatting watching old movies on TV, discussing the national news, and dancing to the tunes Sweety selects for them and plays on her phone for their enjoyment.

They periodically enjoy field trips for lunches out or scenic drives.

Thanks so much Sweety for what you do every day to give your beloved client the best quality of life and help her thrive.

All caregivers mentioned in this column will receive a gift card and our sincere appreciation! Many many thanks to all of you for once again extending yourselves to ensure that we are of course Always There…!!■