Caregivers Recognized for Service
Friday, December 5, 2014 8:17 am
PERRYSBURG – On Nov. 6, caregivers in Wood County were honored at The Golden Care Awards.
The event, which was held at the W.W. Knight Preserve in Perrysburg, was presented by the Wood County Committee on Aging and sponsored by Sterling House of Bowling Green and Kingston of Perrysburg.The awards ceremony recognized the caregiving heroes in our neighborhoods. Compassionate caregivers working in a facility or home care setting, as well as community caregivers were honored at the event. Honored caregiving heroes went above and beyond in their role as caregivers.
Pat Bruielly, who was honored at the event, never expected to become a caregiver.
“I never really gave caregiving a thought, I expected my parents to be healthy forever,” Bruielly said.
Her mother has Alzheimer’s disease and now resides at Clare Bridge Place.
Bruielly does whatever she can to make her mother feel happy and comfortable.
“Seeing my mom smile when I walk up is so rewarding,” she said. “She doesn’t know my name and calls me her sister or mother most of the time, but I still love it when she’s happy to see me.”
Although having a family member with Alzheimer’s can be difficult, Bruielly stays positive.
When asked what advice she would give someone struggling with caregiving, she responded, “Just go with it, let the people you care for set the pace, knowing what they like and letting them make choices and making them feel useful,” she said. “Take advantage of the good times, and let someone help you during the bad.Bruielly is just one of the many caregivers who often go unrecognized. WCCOA and partner organizations organized this event in order to thank “caregiving heroes” in the area.
The following caregivers were all recognized with a special plaque.Those honored caregivers working in a facility/home care setting were Dr. Thomas Wojciechowski, Mary Ann Borisenko, Rachel Reid, Denise Hartbarger and Shelly Ruehl. Those honored caregivers from the community were Tammy Simon, Pat Bruielly, Martha Hogle, Annie Bingley, Shirley Clark, Judy Hoffer, Virginia Michael, Mary Soneson and Donna Roach.
Also recognized in the first category was Judy Errett; receiving similar honors in the community were Joseph Rsyz, Dawn Boyer, Sandy Clevenger and Kenneth Stickles.
source: http://www.sent-trib.com/community/senior/caregivers-recognized-for-service/article_022bf652-7c81-11e4-8e2b-93189cb008e7.html
American Caregiver Association