Q: Please introduce yourself.

SI: My name is Sheyda Irizarry, the Medication Supervisor.

Q: How long have you worked here?

SI: Close to eight years now.

Q: Were you hired as the Medication Supervisor?

SI: No, I was hired as a personal care aide. After two years, I joined the medication staff. Then, I moved up to medication night person and weekend supervisor. About four years ago I was promoted to medication supervisor.

Q: Excellent. So you worked your way up. That’s the best way to learn everything.

SI: That’s right!

Q: Do you like working here?

SI: Yes, I do.

Q: Is this just a job that you do, or is it something more?

SI: Not to me. I always wanted to work with elderly people, so this is something that I always wanted to do.

Q: What makes West 74th Street such a good community? What do you think the staff brings to their jobs? What’s special about the place?

SI: Since I’ve been working here, it has been like a family. We treat people like a family member, it’s not just a job to us. Sometimes we become attached to a resident, because some of them don’t have family, and we become their family, like me and Mr. Faresee. I’ve known him for a long time. I didn’t have a grandfather; for me, I consider him my grandfather, and he likes that.

Q: Apart from doing the medication management, do you do other things, do you help with the activities?

SI: I usually like to help out whenever I am needed. I have worked at the front desk, as a personal care aid as well as in the kitchen. Wherever they need someone, I try to help out. I also meet with the social workers on a weekly basis. It keeps me busy throughout the day. We have a lot of residents, some who need more care than the others, so we try to accommodate all of them.

Q: I was looking at the activities schedule and there’s a lot going on here.

SI: We have three exercise classes per week. We have an art class, a poetry class and we have concerts, they really enjoy that. We even have belly dancers and magicians coming here. We try to offer as many choices as possible. We have a lot of activities that the residents enjoy.

Q: Sounds better than my social life.

SI: [Laughs] Better than my social life, too. Yeah.

Q: Do you find that a lot of the residents here go out in the neighborhood and do things by themselves?

SI: Yeah, they are very independent. A lot of them go to day programs. Some of them they leave in the morning and you won’t see them back until 4pm or 4:30pm. Then it is basically dinnertime and then they will watch a movie. We have a special tea time every night. Some of the residents go to sleep early, some you will see at 10 pm or 11 pm . A lot of them go to concerts at Lincoln Center. The residents like the area around here.

Q: I think that a lot of people find that it’s pretty safe, too.

SI: Yes, it is very safe. You know, everywhere something happens, but here it is really rare.

Q: What are the holidays like here?

SI: The big thing would be the New Year’s Eve party. They all get really dressed up for that. We have Halloween parties, which they enjoy, where residents wear costumes. For every holiday, we try to do something—Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentines Day and birthday parties but New Year’s Eve is the biggest party.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about working here? What gives you the most satisfaction? Why do you love your job?

SI: I like working with the elderly. I have great respect for the elderly, because of my mother. I can talk to them, these are the most honest people. When you have a conversation with an older person, they know more than you do about life, and basically they are honest, they have nothing to lie about at this point in their lives. And I have learned a lot from them. Sometimes, when I feel down, they just tell me about their past lives, and the way to enjoy life now, because life is going to get slower for me. I just love talking with them, because they are funny. Some of them are really funny. I’ve just always enjoyed talking to older people, because they have more interesting things to say. I’ve learned a lot from them.

Q: Well, that sounds good. Is there anything else that you want to add?

SI: West 74th Street Home is the most pleasant place to work at. I like it, I really like it. I really enjoy myself. It’s been a good eight years.

Q: Well, that definitely comes through. Thank you very much.