Judy Saffold – Florida Direct Services Professional of the Year

Judy Saffold of Clearwater, Florida, ensures that each person she cares for gets individualized attention. She works to preserve her clients’ dignity and incorporates their unique wants into many aspects of their daily life. Judy helps them pick out a wardrobe that reflects their personalities and, for Halloween, sewed a costume for each person.

Maintaining family ties is essential for clients. One client moved into Judy’s home after his grandmother passed away. His closest remaining family is his sister, who lives a couple of hours away. Judy does not want distance to come between them, so she regularly drives the client to visit his sister. She also successfully reunited him with members of his extended family and accompanies him to family events and gatherings. The client is now in touch regularly with family members who had not seen him in more than 10 years. This brought joy to the client and his sister because he can once again be a part of his family. Judy’s proactive approach to helping maintain the individual’s family ties continues to make a positive impact on his life.