Albanian woman rewarded for serving seniors

TIRANA, March 9 – While Albanian women were celebrating the March 8 Women’s Day it seems that they are not doing badly in other parts of the globe where their families have migrated.
The US media outlet Suburban Life wrote about Monda Noka who had dreamed of following her father’s footsteps into practicing law, or perhaps becoming a doctor.
Monda Noka of Lombard was growing up in Albania. She moved to the US 11 years ago where she managed to reach a dream.
However, the restrictive policies of the Communist state led Noka to decades of work in telecommunications.
But 11 years ago, Noka moved to the United States and settled in Elmhurst, where she got a job directing Adult Christian Care, housed by Epiphany Evangelical Lutheran Church at 314 W. Vallette St.
Open for 32 years, Adult Christian Care is a nonprofit service that provides seniors moderately affected by dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and other illnesses with physical and mental stimulation to keep them from going into a nursing home.
Sing-a longs, gardening and games are part of the activities at ACC from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., five days a week.
“We work very hard,” Noka said. “I like to make people active, be happy … and help them not take that next step as long as we can, keep (seniors) home.”
Although Noka said the service is lucky they do not have to depend on the state for funding and have good private funding from businesses and other charities, the souring economy has led to a loss of at least five clients when their families could not afford ACC services.
Regardless, Noka said she loves the challenges of her role with ACC.
“I like to work with people, I am a people person,” she said. “That is my goal, to serve seniors with devotion and compassion and give them as much as we can.”