You Can Call Me Kim 9/25/23

My first name is Minah, but all the senior residents at the facility I volunteer at call me Kim. It wasn’t until the fifth time they asked me to repeat my first name that I realized they were having a hard time remembering it. I was not offended by this in the slightest, but it helped me put the cognitive difficulties that the residents experienced into perspective. Although I had physical indicators to identify those who needed help standing up from the lunch table or the slow and shaky moving of pieces on a chessboard, my first encounter with this disability was even more subtle. My role at the facility is to spend time with the residents in a way that makes them feel appreciated and secure, so I quickly realized that this would create an uncomfortable barrier; therefore, I needed to find my own way to accommodate the people I was trying to serve. The easiest alternative I could think of was my last name. A three letter word that was most likely more familiar to the majority. That is how I began to give my last name as an introduction as I encounter new people in the community as I hope to lessen the obstacles that deter a quality relationship. Overall, I am glad because knowing what to call me makes the residents more comfortable to ask me for help, so I am happy that they call me Kim.