Nothing tugs at the heart strings like an award given to you by your peers.
On Wednesday, March 31, 2010, SCS’s Ann Swayngim was awarded “Care Manager of the Year” at Generations Restaurant in Media. Surprised, and a little humbled by the event, Ann expressed her delight at the award.
Says Ann, “This award made me very happy, I work hard for my consumers. It is a real honor to be recognized for my work, especially when to comes from my co-workers at SCS. I just can’t thank them all enough.”
The award was the result of a vote from all Senior Community Service’s (SCS) Long Term Care Programs, supervisors and care managers, including the Family Caregiver Support Program, Senior Center at Home Program and APPRISE.
The first thing Ann does in the morning is to tackle the mounting paperwork that comes with managing eighty consumers. But Ann has another name for them.
“I call them my grandmothers and grandfathers,” she, relates. “That’s how I think of them all. They are my other family.”
Ann, who has a BA in Psychology from Albright College, likes to think of herself as a problem-solver for her consumers. “I help them fill out the paperwork that will determine what services they qualify for, and which agencies would best suit their needs,” relates Ann. “My aim is to make life easier and less stressful for my consumers.”
Based on the consumer’s choice, if someone needs help with bathing and personal care, she arranges for an aid to come into the home and help them with that. Ann can also arrange for someone to assist with light housekeeping and laundry.
Thanks to her help, many of her clients receive food stamps, rental rebates, shopping help, heating assistance through LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program), outside counseling or weatherization to make their home more energy-efficient. Ann also helps arrange for consumers to receive transportation assistance through Community Transit and more.
“My job is to inform my consumers and point them in the right direction,” concludes Ann. “Knowing that I can help solve a lot of their problems and make life easier for my grandmothers and grandfathers is the best part of my job. I love what I do and I love that I can do it for so many people.”
For information about SCS’s Long Term Care Department, call Trindy Grundy at (610) 237-6222, Ext.125.