The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Zielasko's 'gentle hands'
Silver Maples employee recognized for dedication
By Sheila Pursglove, Special Writer
PUBLISHED: April 26, 2007
Janet Zielasko, MS, LSW, social service coordinator for Silver Maples of Chelsea, is the 2007 winner of the Michigan Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (MAHSA) Gentle Hands Award.
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Zielasko will receive her award at the May 1 MAHSA annual meeting at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dearborn.
"I certainly feel honored to be nominated and selected," Zielasko said. "It came as a total surprise to me. I didn't know that my name had been submitted.
"I believe that there are many staff members here Silver Maples besides myself who are also deserving of recognition for their strong work ethics and commitment to sustaining high quality services here at Silver Maples. It's a wonderful community to be a part of."
The award is presented each year to a non-management and department head employee of a member organization who continually exemplifies service and dedication in his or her profession within direct resident care. Potential nominees include nurse aides, nurses, social workers and activities personnel.
Residents and staff of Silver Maples are delighted, said executive director Jerry Wilczynski, who nominated Zielasko.
"For Janet, work at Silver Maples is more than a job," he said. "Janet continually goes above and beyond her job duties to facilitate care and improvements in the quality of life of the residents of Silver Maples of Chelsea. We are so very blessed to have her on our staff."
Zielasko, who has worked at Silver Maples for four years, began her professional career as a social worker at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, working mainly with seniors who required discharge planning after hospitalization.
"Several years later, I became interested in the up and coming field of health education and made a career switch, working in the Health Promotion Department at St. Joseph Hospital," she said. "Much of my work in that department also involved working with elders, doing community presentations, programming, screenings."
In 1990, Zielasko became Director of Health Education at the University of Michigan Health Service that provides programming and health education to 36,000 students as well as faculty and staff.
Then in 2000, she and her husband took a three-year hiatus from their respective careers to spend time traveling, doing volunteer work, and getting more involved in local community issues.
After joining Silver Maples, Zielasko began facilitating "Connections," a weekly informal get-together where residents discuss and share thoughts, feelings and ideas.
Each session includes a discussion of a current events topic and participation in a thought-provoking exercise or sharing about personal experiences or feelings — an opportunity to learn more about themselves, one another and to make new friends. The group experience is one of connecting through thoughtful conversation, listening and respect for one another.
Participants also enjoy several projects, including the most recent, the "What the World Needs Now" booklet completed in December. The previous December, the group worked on the project "Lessons Learned in Life," and previously created a small poster, "Collective Thoughts for Living Well."
"In addition to these projects, we regularly have very thought-provoking discussions," Zielasko said. "Who's to know what's next — maybe a video?"
Zielasko said she has thoroughly enjoyed her work over the past four years.
"The residents of Silver Maples are absolutely wonderful," she said. "They have a plethora of experience and wisdom in regards to life and living.
"Elders are such valuable resources, truly rich treasures to be appreciated and honored each and every day."
Sheila Pursglove is a freelance writer. She can be reached at bingley51@yahoo.com.
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