Our Stories — Supporter
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Eileen O’Brien, Director
Elders Living At Home Program
“Who are we to give up, when the people we have been given the opportunity to serve never give up on themselves?”
In March 1988, Eileen was working in an administrative position for what was then University Hospital’s Home Medical Service. The funding for the project was ending, and she was trying to decide on a plan for the future. Studying for a graduate degree was her primary interest, but she wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to pursue. At the same time, another Home Medical Service project, the Elders Living at Home Program, needed an Administrator. ELAHP was a demonstration project, funded only for another year and a half. She thought that would give her just enough time to make a decision about her future and head off to graduate school.
But twenty three years later, she is still at the helm of the program. “I am still at ELAHP,” Eileen explains, “because I am still learning and finding new challenges. The elders we serve teach me about the power of the human spirit to overcome incredible obstacles and strive for a better life for themselves. The other staff at ELAHP teach me about helping to change lives through creativity, compassion and commitment. Our donors teach me about unwavering generosity and loyalty. Our partner agencies teach me about collaboration and trust. And public policy makers teach me about the importance of raising my voice to bring about change.”
Eileen believes in the difference a program like ELAHP makes in the lives of people who are genuinely struggling. Through a simple combination of kindness, guidance and support, she and her staff have helped transform thousands of lives. “I have come to understand the power of knowing people in the way they want to be known,” she explains, “and helping them to call upon their deepest strengths.”
Over the years, ELAHP has faced many obstacles, but under Eileen’s steady leadership and unwavering determination, the program has persisted. “Really,” she says, “who are we to give up, when the people we have been given the opportunity to serve never give up on themselves, even when the odds are so stacked against them?”
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