Cultivating Gratitude
It’s so easy to get stuck in the muck of daily life. Bills to pay. Never ending to-do lists. Medical diagnoses. News articles featuring a poor economy and ongoing wars. But when we get stuck focusing on the seemingly negative, we often overlook the powerful practice of gratitude. Acknowledging and appreciating the positive things around us, whether big or small, can have a profound impact on our life.
Moments of gratitude surround the work of AC Care Alliance because it touches each person who interacts with the program. Whether an enrolled person needing care, a caregiver, or an ACCA team member, each one is impacted by being a part of this program.
Enrolled participants often express their gratitude for the impact ACCA has made in their lives. Individuals may be grateful that Care Navigators helped them provide suggestions on how to gain clarity from and communicate with their primary care physician using the Clinician Visit Tool and advocate for the treatment plan they want, helped them get their social needs met, or were present during a hard time in their life. ACCA’s Assistant Director, Dr. Clyde Oden Jr. (Dr. O), recounts a story of how a Care Navigator caring impacted someone’s life.“I can remember the expressions of gratitude expressed by one of the participants we are currently serving. He felt that very few people cared about him, and that he was trapped in his circumstances. He is grateful for the hope he now possesses for a better outcome in his life.”
And that connection is formed both ways. Participants often feel the benefits of the trusted relationship formed with Care Navigators, but Care Navigators are also impacted. An ACCA Care Navigator on the Los Angeles team recently shared her thankfulness for a relationship built with a caregiver this last year:
“One of my first caregivers enrolled had a 92-year-old husband with Alzheimer's. She was interested in respite since she was his sole caregiver. She was interested in utility bill assistance, meal delivery, handyman, prayer, scripture, insurance information, and socialization. I assisted with each goal successfully and she enrolled in the senior center and currently volunteers at a church with the food donations. Her husband passed away and I am closing her case. She was so grateful for the Care Navigation that [she received]. She has always been encouraging and revealed she is a minister. She was adamant that we would keep in touch. I love the wisdom she imparted to me.” – ACCA Care Navigator
Working for AC Care Alliance is more than just a job. Many feel that it’s a more like a calling and a blessing in their personal lives and with their families as well. Jasmine Cruz, a Care Navigator, expressed it like this “I will never stress enough how grateful I am of my leadership and Rev. Cynthia [AC Care Alliance Executive Director] for allowing me to progress as a public health professional while being able to show up for my family the way I need to. Being a Care Navigator has [allowed] me to provide services [to others that] I would need for my family. Being that type of blessing is…a calling that I could ever imagine being entrusted with the way our leadership team has [entrusted me].”
Tadjelisa Carter, a Care Navigator, expressed gratitude for her work opening up avenues for discussion within her family: “I’m grateful for the work that ACCA has done in our community and how it helps me. It helps me by giving me time and experience to be able to further my career and the know how to talk about Advance Care Planning and Advance Directives with my family.”
ACCA expanded into Los Angeles County and began providing services to participants earlier this year. Trevino Cochran, ACCA’s Regional Director in Los Angeles reflected on the gratitude he has for the hard work his team has put in during this expansion work,“…everyone continues to be engaged and make themselves available for our success. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the servant heart that everyone has within ACCA and that servant heart is carried into the community…There is no better feeling than to witness our Care Navigators working together with a participant or caregiver to provide the much-needed support they need.”
But it’s not just the LA team, this sense of teamwork and passion extends to each region of ACCA’s work. Dr. O says that “AC Care Alliance is such a wonderful organization to be a part of. The warmth of the team members, the caring about others is such a stark contrast to the anger we often see in the streets and in the news reports about national and international affairs. I am grateful to be in the presence of such genuine love and affection for others.” And Mary Spencer-Dockery, a Care Team Supervisor says, “I am grateful that I can first help people and give back to the community, and second, work with a team that is as passionate about the work we do.”
Gratitude abounds among the ACCA Team and as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we at AC Care Alliance encourage you to think of a few things you’re grateful for this season. Perhaps the care of a loved one, a sunny day, or an answered prayer will be enough to refocus our attention on the good things that surround us each day.
