November 17, 1999

Schaap a guardian angel

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
       That's fifty-eight checkbooks to balance - every month.
      Fifty-eight batches of mail to sort and process - every day.
      Fifty-eight birthdays and 58 Christmases and 58 Easters to celebrate - every year.
      But Patty Schaap perseveres, undaunted, in caring for the 58 elderly and developmentally disabled persons, most of whom she serves as a guardian. She cares for each as she would a member of her own family, bringing Christmas gifts, birthday balloons and Easter baskets as well as much needed love and care for people who otherwise have no family nearby.
      "They say you are not their family, but sometimes you are if they have no one else," Schaap said. "I am a social worker and I love working with people and I love working with these clients. Most of the time they are very grateful for what you do, but sometimes they don't understand."
      In recognition of her outstanding efforts for the nine patients she cares for in their facility, Tendercare recently named Schaap Guardian of the Year. In fact, they created this award just for her and threw her a surprise party to bestow it on her.
      "I have been in this field for nine years and I have not met any other guardian as caring and dedicated as her," said Dale Chilcote, administrator for Tendercare. "We just wanted to recognize her for her work for those nine residents. One of the things that fascinates me about what she does is that she gets the mail for all nine patients, and she goes through every piece."
      Approximately a third of her clients are developmentally disabled and the remainder are elderly. Not all of the elderly reside in nursing homes. Some still live in their own homes but need additional assistance to stay there, perhaps referrals to have meals delivered or help with shopping, doctor's appointments or medications. For elderly with no family nearby, Schaap makes sure the client is getting all the help from available area services.
      "I try to keep them in their homes as long as possible," Schaap said. "I believe that it is in the client's best interest. It is always sad when I have to pull their driver's license if they are incompetent. And I never make the statement to my clients that I will never put them in a nursing home because I may have to."
      Schaap gets referrals for clients from Adult Protective Services, the Family Independence Agency and from other social service agencies, such as the Area Agency on Aging. With her policy of never saying 'No' to a client, she has built of her current caseload. However, she does admit that all the paperwork associated with caring for 58 clients is the most difficult part for her; being a caring friend is the part that comes naturally.
      "The worst part of my job is the paperwork," said Schaap, who also volunteers her time in the community with the National Cherry Festival. "If it is a choice between spending time with my clients or paperwork, I'll always choose my clients."
      She is familiar with caring for the elderly from the years she ran Greenfield Farms, an assisted living facility in Garfield Township, which her family started in 1965. When she sold the operation in 1993, she knew she wasn't ready to retire and took on a few clients to help out. Six years later she is busier than ever.
      "When I sold the business I knew I would have to do something, I was too young not to work," Schaap recalled. "Then this business kind of exploded, but it is not something I could do if I did not have another income."
      With a growing demand in the area for services like Schaap provides, the Probate Court Volunteers in Prevention program has 30 trained volunteer guardians to help disabled or elderly when necessary. The program will also guide individuals who have been appointed guardians, offering a videotape listing the responsibilities and ramifications of guardianship.
      "There is a great need in our community for someone to act on a person's behalf and make personal, medical and legal decisions," said Linda Fawcett, volunteer coordinator for the Volunteers in Prevention program. "Being a guardian for someone is a tremendous service and help. I am right there clapping for someone like Patty."