Family members share gratitude & appreciation

~Luanne Fisher, President & CEO, Liberty Lutheran

May is National Older Americans Month, a time to recognize and celebrate seniors’ contributions and how they continue to impact the lives of others. At Liberty we are committed to enriching the lives of our residents who live at Artman, Paul’s Run, The Hearth at Drexel, and The Village at Penn State, those who attend our West Philadelphia Senior Center, seniors who live in the surrounding communities, and those who receive Liberty at Home and Hospice services.

Knowing that their loved one is cherished and cared for is so important to family members. Over the past few months we have received many wonderful letters full of gratitude and appreciation for the wonderful care and compassion our staff demonstrates every day. I’d like to share some excerpts from the letters we received in the past few months.

“Dear Artman Family, I am so thankful for all of your care and support! She was a wonderful, smart, strong and sharp as a tack woman! Thank you for allowing her to remain herself. You never took her identity or spirit away!”

“From my first call to Paul’s Run, B.J. Maul was my ‘go-to-guy.’ He has helped us immensely. After Dad died, he was still so comforting and sympathetic. He had many good nurses but Samantha (LPN) and Nadia (LPN) on Personal Care stood out. His aides were sweet and helpful too. .. Linda Hampton in the medical office was kind and receptive to my calls…always. She called me after learning of Dad’s death and she cried with me. Julie was so helpful to take Dad for walks and to make sure he knew it was time for church…. Dad’s favorite person was Nancy. Nancy worked in the housekeeping department. She did so much more than clean Dad’s room. She really ‘made his day.’”

“To everyone who cared for my grandfather, Fred: You do holy work. Whatever your primary role (nursing, environmental services, culinary), you played a huge role in helping my Pop live his last years with dignity. I always knew that he was well cared for, treated kindly, gently and with respect. He was lucky to have you and so were we. You have him independence and us peace of mind. To the second floor nurses, I can see him smiling up at every one of you as you cared for him. Our hearts swell to think of the loving care you gave him in 3 ½ years. We love you.”

“My Grandfather William “Bill” was in hospice care at Artman during the summer of 2013. Pop passed away peacefully in August and the staff held the walk of honor … I was very honored for the staff to pay tribute to Pop that way. We thank Artman and the Hospice staff for such great care of him during his final months.”

“Kathy, we wanted to thank you for the excellent service we received from Liberty Hospice. Syida and Jenn were absolutely fabulous and were far and away the highlight of my mother’s stay at Artman. We cannot say enough good things about both of them and are grateful that Jenn could be there with our mom when she passed. You have much to be proud of at Liberty.”

Here at Liberty we are gifted with the opportunity to share our compassion, skill, and hearts with those senior residents who choose to live in our communities as well as those we serve in the community. Letters like these let us know that our staff and the services we provide are valued and meaningful.