Care Partner of the Month: Sameerah Ahmad

Chicago Care Partner of the Month: Sameerah Ahmad

A heart-centered person pursuing heart-centered work. 

by Linsey Knerl

Sameerah Ahmad describes herself as a “heart-centered” person, and as a companion Care Partner, she gets the opportunity to bring her heart to work every day. In addition to the day-to-day administrative tasks, like helping her client organize her calendar or return phone calls, Sameerah prioritizes enrichment.

“We both love nature,” she explains of her client over the past year. “She happens to live across from the forest, so we frequently go into the woods and walk around and review different plants, things unique to the seasons, and see deer and other animals.”

While the weather limited their time outdoors, Sameerah helped her client learn about a free gym membership offered through health insurance and sign up for it. They now visit a fitness center together, using the pool to help ease her client’s arthritis and get some movement into the day.

Sameerah is mindful of balancing the must-do tasks of medication reminders or household work like cleaning the fridge, with those nourishing activities they both enjoy, such as discussing their shared love of reading.

One aspect of working for Renewal Memory Partners that Sameerah has enjoyed is the newness of every day. She has been able to apply the skills gained as a development director and executive director for nonprofits to keep on top of the little details, as well as help her client with the big-picture parts of life.

“When you're working with elders in general, there's going to be themes that come up, for example, death of their loved ones as they age,” she shares. Staying open to what the day brings is an essential part of the job. “Will we be holding grief today? Are we going to emphasize lighthearted tasks, or do some physical movement and exercise?”

Sameerah says that this work is “rewarding and keeps you on your feet.” This isn’t the only time in her life that Sameerah has been drawn to “heart-centered” work. She has always been moved by helping others, especially in her earlier career as an activist and organizer around global worker solidarity and immigrant justice. The work was rewarding but taxing, and it ultimately led her to learn how to heal herself whenever burnout struck.

When she came across Renewal Memory Partners, she was appreciative of the companionship aspect of the work and how it emphasized thriving and not just surviving. The mission of compassion toward older adults in the community aligned with her own enthusiasm for face-to-face connections that really enriched others.

She seems happy to trade in a busy and meeting-filled schedule with meaningful and tangible interactions she has with her client. She hopes to see more of these opportunities for compassionate care in our society in the future, while also wanting the best for workers in the care industry.

Sameerah’s advice for others in her field is this: “I think any kind of care work, especially this one-on-one work, can be exhausting over time if you don't know how to take care of yourself, and to restore and nourish yourself.”

She emphasizes having boundaries, engaging with healing modalities that personally resonate, and staying connected with creative outlets. “Especially in memory care, you're going to be holding grief; you're going to be holding a constant remembering for folks that they are changing. To bring the best care to others, make sure that you start by taking care of yourself.”