One of the happiest housekeepers, Stuart Twite brings a bright and shiny attitude toGood Samaritan Society – De Smetin South Dakota.
“Just gratitude that the opportunity was there,” Twite says. “To me it’s just a pure blessing to be able to do it.”
His boss, Dan Gunderson, a Marine Corps veteran, says the team and residents soak up Twite’s energy. He’s been cleaning rooms and doing laundry off and on for a few years.
甘德森说:“如果我们能克隆他，我们就能拥有一整支他的舰队。”“他给每个人带来欢乐。不管你今天过得有多糟糕。在走廊里嘟囔着。突然，他走了出来，又唱又跳。你会说，‘谢谢你，斯图尔特。我需要这个。’”
‘Diligently trying to drink myself to death’
Technically an environmental services technician, Twite pitches in at the nursing home in many ways, sometimes from the pulpit.
“One of the reasons I think it’s a privilege to do chapel here is, I was a resident here for a while,” Twite says.
“I was very diligently trying to drink myself to death. I was very diligent about that.”
A stroke in detox five years ago limited brain function to the point the former history teacher had trouble walking. Physical therapy and rehabilitation at the Society was followed by a month of alcoholism treatment elsewhere.
“我每天都在祈祷，希望上帝能给我有意义的工作，”Twite说。“从戒毒所出来几天后，我在这里做家务。这是一件很棒的事情。这让我很震惊。”
Gunderson says, “Every day that he’s alive is a blessing and he makes sure that everyone else feels the same way.”
特威说，降服于上帝拯救了他。
“That is so not a category in my life anymore,” Twite says. “It’s all a part of my story and what happened.”
‘We take care of each other’
New chapters in that story feature quality care for nursing home residents, something the Society has been providing for 100 years.
“It is difficult work, and it is work not many people will do. That the Society continues to do it, in the way that we do it, is a beautiful thing,” Twite says.
“无论我们在生命的哪个阶段——每个人在生命中都经历过不同的阶段——作为上帝的孩子，受到有尊严的对待是最重要的。这就是我们被召唤去做的。作为基督的信徒，我们被告知要这样做。我们互相照顾。”
A worthwhile cause Twite’s on a mission to carry out.
“That I was, without question, placed here to do this and to do whatever I could for his glory in this role continues to be more fulfilling than I ever possibly could have comprehended,” Twite says.
Learn more
- How to support someone struggling with their mental health
- Health care heroes come from activities, maintenance staff
- A look at Sanford laundry: Crew cleans 25,000 pounds a day
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Posted InNon-Clinical Support Services,Sanford Stories,Senior Services
