“Grandma” Murphy Retires After Ten Years!

As we honor, appreciate and recognize our Direct Care Staff this week during Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week, we would like to share a story about "Grandma" Lorine Murphy, who after 10 years of being a direct care staff and making an impact in the lives of others, has retired from Marrakech! 

When Lorine applied for a job at Marrakech 10 years ago, she already had a job working at Yale, and had been doing so for the past 25 years. Due to her husband’s illness, however, she had to find a part time job to supplement their income.  At the time, she was not sure that the job at Marrakech was the "right fit" for her; however friends who already were working here encouraged her to apply. They turned out to be right; it was a perfect job for Lorine!

Lorine was hired and trained to work at one of Marrakech’s Young Adult Services homes, which is a program funded by DMHAS.  She quickly became “Grandma” to some of the young adults. Throughout her time working with them, she must have made an impact on them, because at her retirement celebration, each young adult gave her a rose and honored her with touching stories and memories about her!

“Retiring from Marrakech after 10 years,” Lorine stated “was much harder than retiring from my job at Yale after 35 years”.  The relationships that she developed with the individuals in the program and the staff continue to be strong.  “The support and flexibility that Marrakech provided to me during my employment”, Lorine said, “was wonderful!”   The trainings that she attended over the years helped her grow both professionally and personally, with strategies and information that she could use with her own grandchildren as well as at work.  Instead of directing individuals, she learned, helping individuals learn to make their own choices leads to the best outcome. Loraine stated that the last training she attended, the training on Person Centered Thinking, was one of her favorite trainings.

We wish Lorine a Happy Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week, thank her on behalf of all the lives she touched, and wish her all the best in her retirement!  We know that she will now be a natural support to the individuals she has worked with for the past ten years!