“Seniors Deserve to be Loved” says Caregiver, Alynna Luong

Alynna Luong grew up in Vietnam where she was raised by her grandmother. Twenty years ago she moved to Seattle, leaving her grandmother behind. She still feels the loss of that first primary relationship. “I feel as though my grandmother is missing from my life, but by providing caregiving for the elderly, it allows me to spend time with people who are like my grandmother,” she explained. “I really love working with seniors. They gave so much to society and they deserve to be loved.  I am happy that as a caregiver I can give back to them.”

Alynna attended college at the UW where she earned her B.A. in psychology. While still in school she worked as an intern in a not-for-profit agency that provided social services to a number of different needy populations. After completing her internship she was hired by the agency and ultimately worked with such diverse groups as immigrants and refugees, seniors, individuals with developmental disabilities, college students and children. “I love working with and helping people,” said Alynna, “and I got a lot of satisfaction from my work with the agency.”   

Ultimately Alynna decided that she wanted to continue her education and pursue a degree in the medical field. “I loved working in social services,” said Alynna “but I’m also very interested in healthcare and I feel that going into nursing will provide a stable career for me.” Alynna came to Family Resource in the spring of 2010 and since that time has worked with many different clients. She recently completed course work to be certified as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and while studying for her exams, continues to work as a caregiver.

Alynna believes that it is important to be enthusiastic and show her clients that she enjoys being with them. “My clients know that I care about them and that I respect them. They feel confident and comfortable with me because I’m friendly and they can see that I understand my caregiver duties, and that I am knowledgeable and experienced. Our clients like happy people,” Alynna continued. “Often they are sick or in pain and even though I cannot help them medically, I can cheer them up and do small things that will help them to feel better ― like give them massages,” she said.

Alynna is very happy to have found FRHC. “All the staff is very caring, honest and forgiving,” she said. “I hope I can continue to work for them for a long time.”