Shards of Consciousness

I was entering the building where I work today and I saw a woman I recognized from a local agency waiting at the door. I asked if I could help her and she said she was trying to contact one of her agency's consumers who lives in the building.Read more

One of the things I do as a services coordinator is get aides to help people who, for one reason or another, are unable to bathe unassisted or do normal things you and I take for granted like vacuuming or shopping. Most of my clients are in their 70s or 80s. Most of the aides are in their 20s - 40s. But some are older. I know of two that are in their 70s. These ladies are two of my heroes.Read more

I was listening to StoryCorps on my way to work this morning. As you may know, StoryCorps is an oral history project in which normal people are given the tools and opportunity to interview one another all over the U.S. The recordings are being archived at the Library of Congress, and eventually they are to be available online.Read more

Sometimes when I tell people I'm a service coordinator, I get a blank stare. "What is a service coordinator?", they ask. The short answer is that a service coordinator is a type of social worker. The American Association of Service Coordinators calls service coordinators "the 'lynchpin' connecting frail, disabled residents and families in crisis with community and support services". Eastern Area Adult Services in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, defines a service coordinator as
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We all know many different people. Some we see every day. Others we may see once a week, once a year, or once every five years. Usually as we spend time with people we see changes in them. I'm not talking about sudden changes, but a gradual evolution. As you look back over your relationship, you'll say to yourself, "Wow! Joe sure has changed a lot over the years." Sometimes we evaluate the changes as good, sometimes as bad, but the important thing is that change has happened.Read more