A Blessing In Disguise

By Patti Hankes

A number of years ago, I was looking for a tangible way to make a difference and help others in my community. I reached out to my church and found that one of their ministries needed a volunteer to help with office administrative tasks. After volunteering for a few weeks at the Normandale Center for Healing and Wholeness, I was offered a part-time position. I immediately accepted it, beginning my rewarding 14-year journey as an employee.

Over the years I worked many assignments including as: administrative assistant, project coordinator, marketing, new staff trainer, evidence-based program facilitator, Center representative at community events, database manager, and volunteer. I know the ins and outs of the Center’s work and am very proud of the difference it makes.

It was while I was working at the Center that my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. As the Center representative for the ACT on Alzheimer’s initiative, I learned quite a lot about the disease. I was as prepared as one can be for my father’s decline in health that eventually took his life. I was able to identify behavioral changes that were related to the disease and help my family understand and show them how to respond. As a result, my sister and I could look forward to our regular visits with our father, meeting him where he was in the disease rather than expecting him to meet us.

I spent time with our social workers, making sure that I was using all the resources available to me. They helped me identify things my father needed in a care facility and prepared me for his move.

I cherish the time I spent with my father and realize that had it not been for my employment at the Center, my father and my family would have struggled much more that we did. I am forever grateful for this blessing, one that I never contemplated when I said yes to that job offer years before.

I knew that once I retired I would want to maintain some type of active relationship with the Center. I now continue as a facilitator for the evidence-based programs provided to seniors and caregivers, and I am a member of the Board of Directors. As such, I look forward to our 25th Anniversary Celebration and hope that you can join me.