Caring is an innate characteristic- when one human cares for another it goes far beyond a job and a steady paycheck. A statement that is exemplified by Wellington resident Linda Barton. She said when a person starts out in the healthcare field, they aren't looking for any awards. Even though she might not have been looking for one, that's just what she got. Barton will be honored by the Kansas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging April 30 in Wichita- she has been selected as the Caregiver of the Year. The award means a lot to Barton.
"It means that the people that I care for know that I'm doing the best job I can for them because I always put myself in their place," Barton said Tuesday. "...I know that other people are deserving of this award but it's nice when someone recognizes what you do." Barton has had quite the career as a caregiver- a career that almost did happen and has had to overcome a number of obstacles along the way. Barton had a learning disability that prevented her from learning to read or write but she always had the dream of helping others. In 1973 she got a job as a house keeper and kept her disability swept under the rug.
"For years I was able to hide the situation because I took odd jobs like housekeeping and dishwashing-you didn't have to be asked to write down things or read things," Barton said. "That's where my husband came in, he was kind of my back-up saying I could do whatever I put my mind to." Barton could help the nurses aides but becoming one was out of the question at the time.
That's when he took her husbands words of encouragement to heart- Barton started the nurses aide certification process in 1974, she still couldn't read or write but the early stages of the certification were hands on. Barton had doubts about completing the process and told her husband, Charles Barton that she was through once the written test was on the horizon. Charles talked Linda into sticking with, yet she didn't know how she would be able to pass the exam.
"I sat close to the door, I remember because I told my husband when she starts with the testing, I'm out of there," Then the teacher then handed out the tests face down on desks Barton recalled. "...I was just tempting to go out the door when my teacher said 'well I'm going to go ahead read the questions today...' She had us flip the paper over and it was true or false." Barton was able to ace the test. "She didn't even know I had a problem," said the Caregiver of the year.
One miracle deserves another, Barton said one day out of the blue she received a call from a total stranger. It was a 90-year-old retired professor from Wichita State University, he was volunteering his time tutoring. The professor told Barton that if she was willing to try to read and write then he was willing to help.
"This man just showed up, he called me," Barton mentioned. "To this day, I don't know how he came to call me." For about a year, the retired Shocker professor tutored Barton and has gone on to have a 35 year career as a certified nurse assistant. In 1995 Barton was honored as Nurse Aide of the Year for the Sate of Kansas. That year was a busy year for Barton, that's also the year she became an Ordained minister.
Barton has worked at Via Christi Village in Wichita since 2000, she is responsible for launching the restorative program and assists residents in regaining their skills. Barton is certified in physical therapy, works with dementia patients and people who are over 100-years-old. Barton has been nominated for and won several awards at the Via Christi Village. Co-worker of 10 years, Director of Clinical Services for the Assisted Living Chris Cathey said Barton greatly deserves the award.
"She has great respect for the elderly," Cathey said. "She is very loving and caring and she has proven results with them." Barton has earned a nickname after helping so many people realize their own strength of the mind, body and heart.
"I make goals with these people...what do they want out of this," Barton explained. "I try to strive that goal for them as much as I can." Barton recalled a patient that passed away a couple of years ago, a lady who had bone cancer that wasn't supposed to be on her legs and hadn't been in two years. When Barton asked her what she wanted out of the physical therapy program the patient told Barton she wanted to walk before she died.
"We'd practice on it, got her to walking- it was almost Christmas time her daughters lived out of town, they came up to see her and they didn't know what we'd been doing," Barton continued. "I had her walk from one end of the hall down to them." Barton has a sign she put in her office that says "One day at time."
"That's what I tell them," she said. "...if today's not good tomorrow we'll work on it. It's them doing it, not me." Barton grew up in Wichita. She and Charles have two daughters and four grandchildren, with another on the way. In 1998 when the family lived near the Belle Plaine Y, a flood wiped out their home. She said it took everything they had except for the car which they were driving to church at the time. Barton has faced a few more hardships involving family but through it all she s grateful.
"You just go on with life and I think that's what makes me a better person as far as caring for other people because you can't tell somebody 'I know what you feel like...'" explained Barton. "I can't feel the pain they have but I can kind of feel it because of some of what I've been through in my life." Receiving the Caregiver of the Year award is a prestigious honor. It is one of seven awards that are given out by KAHSA this year and it is the 20th anniversary for the awards ceremony. Dana Weaver KAHSA Vice President of Programs and Services said the award couldn't have gone to a better person.
"I would say that it's all of the obstacles that she's had to overcome and she's done so many wonderful things with the elders that live at Riverside Village." Weaver said. "She has been able to help so many of them realize dreams that they've had." Qualifications for the award are: the caregiver must be employed by a KAHSA member. They have to demonstrate outstanding care, leadership and being able to balance their home and work life. Barton said she is just glad to make families happy.
Three years ago, Barton was diagnosed with Multiple Scleroses. She said she is already starting to see the physical signs but she using helping others to help herself.
"...I can't expect them to push themselves unless I'm willing to do it," Barton pointed out. "So they help me out too." A restorative aide, Ordained Minister, or miracle worker- all of those titles fall onto a common thread. Barton attributes her faith, her family and being able to effectively communicate with people for her success; she said that she was born with the compassion for caring and is showing no sign of slowing down.
"It not something somebody can learn," Barton said. "You can learn to do the job, you can learn to take care of somebody but you can't learn the compassion."
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Caring is an innate characteristic- when one human cares for another it goes far beyond a job and a steady paycheck. A statement that is exemplified by Wellington resident Linda Barton. She said when a person starts out in the healthcare field, they aren't looking for any awards. Even though she might not have been looking for one, that's just what she got. Barton will be honored by the Kansas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging April 30 in Wichita- she has been selected as the Caregiver of the Year. The award means a lot to Barton.
"It means that the people that I care for know that I'm doing the best job I can for them because I always put myself in their place," Barton said Tuesday. "...I know that other people are deserving of this award but it's nice when someone recognizes what you do." Barton has had quite the career as a caregiver- a career that almost did happen and has had to overcome a number of obstacles along the way. Barton had a learning disability that prevented her from learning to read or write but she always had the dream of helping others. In 1973 she got a job as a house keeper and kept her disability swept under the rug.
"For years I was able to hide the situation because I took odd jobs like housekeeping and dishwashing-you didn't have to be asked to write down things or read things," Barton said. "That's where my husband came in, he was kind of my back-up saying I could do whatever I put my mind to." Barton could help the nurses aides but becoming one was out of the question at the time.
That's when he took her husbands words of encouragement to heart- Barton started the nurses aide certification process in 1974, she still couldn't read or write but the early stages of the certification were hands on. Barton had doubts about completing the process and told her husband, Charles Barton that she was through once the written test was on the horizon. Charles talked Linda into sticking with, yet she didn't know how she would be able to pass the exam.
"I sat close to the door, I remember because I told my husband when she starts with the testing, I'm out of there," Then the teacher then handed out the tests face down on desks Barton recalled. "...I was just tempting to go out the door when my teacher said 'well I'm going to go ahead read the questions today...' She had us flip the paper over and it was true or false." Barton was able to ace the test. "She didn't even know I had a problem," said the Caregiver of the year.
One miracle deserves another, Barton said one day out of the blue she received a call from a total stranger. It was a 90-year-old retired professor from Wichita State University, he was volunteering his time tutoring. The professor told Barton that if she was willing to try to read and write then he was willing to help.
"This man just showed up, he called me," Barton mentioned. "To this day, I don't know how he came to call me." For about a year, the retired Shocker professor tutored Barton and has gone on to have a 35 year career as a certified nurse assistant. In 1995 Barton was honored as Nurse Aide of the Year for the Sate of Kansas. That year was a busy year for Barton, that's also the year she became an Ordained minister.
Barton has worked at Via Christi Village in Wichita since 2000, she is responsible for launching the restorative program and assists residents in regaining their skills. Barton is certified in physical therapy, works with dementia patients and people who are over 100-years-old. Barton has been nominated for and won several awards at the Via Christi Village. Co-worker of 10 years, Director of Clinical Services for the Assisted Living Chris Cathey said Barton greatly deserves the award.
"She has great respect for the elderly," Cathey said. "She is very loving and caring and she has proven results with them." Barton has earned a nickname after helping so many people realize their own strength of the mind, body and heart.
"I make goals with these people...what do they want out of this," Barton explained. "I try to strive that goal for them as much as I can." Barton recalled a patient that passed away a couple of years ago, a lady who had bone cancer that wasn't supposed to be on her legs and hadn't been in two years. When Barton asked her what she wanted out of the physical therapy program the patient told Barton she wanted to walk before she died.
"We'd practice on it, got her to walking- it was almost Christmas time her daughters lived out of town, they came up to see her and they didn't know what we'd been doing," Barton continued. "I had her walk from one end of the hall down to them." Barton has a sign she put in her office that says "One day at time."
"That's what I tell them," she said. "...if today's not good tomorrow we'll work on it. It's them doing it, not me." Barton grew up in Wichita. She and Charles have two daughters and four grandchildren, with another on the way. In 1998 when the family lived near the Belle Plaine Y, a flood wiped out their home. She said it took everything they had except for the car which they were driving to church at the time. Barton has faced a few more hardships involving family but through it all she s grateful.
"You just go on with life and I think that's what makes me a better person as far as caring for other people because you can't tell somebody 'I know what you feel like...'" explained Barton. "I can't feel the pain they have but I can kind of feel it because of some of what I've been through in my life." Receiving the Caregiver of the Year award is a prestigious honor. It is one of seven awards that are given out by KAHSA this year and it is the 20th anniversary for the awards ceremony. Dana Weaver KAHSA Vice President of Programs and Services said the award couldn't have gone to a better person.
"I would say that it's all of the obstacles that she's had to overcome and she's done so many wonderful things with the elders that live at Riverside Village." Weaver said. "She has been able to help so many of them realize dreams that they've had." Qualifications for the award are: the caregiver must be employed by a KAHSA member. They have to demonstrate outstanding care, leadership and being able to balance their home and work life. Barton said she is just glad to make families happy.
Three years ago, Barton was diagnosed with Multiple Scleroses. She said she is already starting to see the physical signs but she using helping others to help herself.
"...I can't expect them to push themselves unless I'm willing to do it," Barton pointed out. "So they help me out too." A restorative aide, Ordained Minister, or miracle worker- all of those titles fall onto a common thread. Barton attributes her faith, her family and being able to effectively communicate with people for her success; she said that she was born with the compassion for caring and is showing no sign of slowing down.
"It not something somebody can learn," Barton said. "You can learn to do the job, you can learn to take care of somebody but you can't learn the compassion."
