Comments on: Wisconsin DCW Speaks at IOM Symposium

By: Dan Dudzinski

Dan Dudzinski — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:23:09 +0000

Great Job Mom, I am very proud! I really never knew what you were going through when I was young, but now I am realizing what you really did for us. Thank You, and I love you!

By: Pat Pintar, RN

Pat Pintar, RN — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:00:52 +0000

I first met Tracy when she began working as a direct care worker for Cooperative Care. As nurse-supervisor for the Co-op I had the priviledge of working with some of the best caregivers I’d ever met.
Tracy impressed me from the first with her compassion and caring but also her desire to improve her skills to provide better care for Cooperative Care clients. To see her grow into her natural leadership role and stong advocate is a joy. Pat Pintar, RN

By: Margaret Bau

Margaret Bau — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:24:45 +0000

Thank you Tracy for sharing your story. Direct care workers are true professionals. It is high time that we as a society treat caregivers with the professional respect that they deserve. Better pay, benefits, and training for caregivers are in everyone’s best interests. I would want someone with Tracy’s compassion to care for my mother. Let’s find ways to recruit and retain more Tracys in this honorable field.

By: Kathleen McGwin

Kathleen McGwin — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:50:56 +0000

Direct Care Workers need more people like Tracy in their ranks who are willing to step forward and speak for them. The nation needs more direct care workers who are responsible and compassionate like Tracy. More people in roles of power need to valorize the role of the direct care worker. It will take everyone to change how we see the role of care giver. Kudos to Tracy.

By: Neill DeClercq

Neill DeClercq — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:29:22 +0000

Tracy is a compassionate leader for WIDCA (Wisconsin Direct Caregiver Alliance), and she is representative of the many thousands of wonderful caregivers who toil each day to provide quality and loving care for those they serve. It is time that she and all DCWs get the recognition and economic compensation they deserve for the important work they do.

By: Bridget Siljander

Bridget Siljander — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:26:26 +0000

Tracy is a great inspiration to me and a model of the ideal direct care worker. I have known her since attending the Voices Institute, which was held by the Direct Care Alliance last year. Her story, told at the IOM Symposium, highlights the inherent dignity in direct care work. Bravo, Tracy!!

By: Roy Gedat, Direct Care Alliance

Roy Gedat, Direct Care Alliance — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:44:37 +0000

Great job Tracy…you’re a real leader and a breath of fresh air. Thanks for doing this.

By: Jackie Merkel

Jackie Merkel — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:11:35 +0000

Tracy’s words echo many other caregiver’s thoughts. We need more direct care workers to stand up for the professional work that they do, to say the same things that Tracy does but in their OWN areas–TELL THEIR STORIES AT HOME–so that the message gets out to employers, communities, and legislators in every community!

By: Stu

Stu — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:57:01 +0000

Congratulations, Tracy; sounds like you were amazing