We don’t need a vote or survey to know who the most important all-around person is at Kendal. When a resident needs to find out who can help, the answer is usually “Ask Ellen”. The phrase “Ask Ellen” is probably the one most repeated day in and day out when some sort of information is needed. She is officially the Director of Resident Services and Communication. Unofficially, she is Kendal’s “go-to person”. Ellen Ottstadt is also warm, sweet, and deep in her thinking. You’ll be able to see that in a little article she wrote for Kendal’s weekly Spotlight. It follows:
A FUN FACT; I have a tattoo, actually two tattoos, but during this time, one stands out. Many years ago, I was going through a difficult time, and someone told me that joy doesn’t last, so why would pain and grief? It made me think, why would a problematic time last when happiness doesn’t last either? Fast forward a few months later to the day when my daughter and I were getting tattoos (that’s a more involved story), and I thought back to that. It seemed too long to put that on a part of my body, so I came close (at least I think it is close.) So, on the inside of my arm, it reads, “Walk by Faith, Not by Sight.” By now, you are probably asking why is she writing this. Well the first reason is that Spotlight needed some articles, and the second is that during this time, we need to walk by faith, basically with our eyes closed, and remember that this won’t last, that this time in our lives is just a small period that we will go through. There will be many more periods in our life that we will go through that we are not prepared for, whether joy or pain. With faith you get through it. We are blessed here at Kendal, with a low number of cases in our resident community and amongst our staff. We come to work every day and know that together we will walk in Faith. Kendal’s Administration is working with all departments to make sure that residents and staff alike are taken care of, even if it is in a small way, since to them, a small item or a smile may make all the difference in someone’s world during this time of isolation. Each morning I touch my arm to remind me to walk in faith since you never know what the day will bring and say a word of thanks for working with the co-workers that I have and the residents who live here. Stay safe, stay strong, and have Faith!