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COMMUNITY OUTREACH THE STAFF AT SILVERSTATE ORTHOPEDICS CONGRATULATE Susan Hirsch, MSW Director of Social Services Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health W hen Susan Hirsch was a 14-year-old in Baltimore, she volunteered at a local nursing home, a move that would determine the course of her professional path. "I knew as a teenager that I wanted to work with older individuals," said Hirsch, who has been developing programs for older adults for more than 25 years. "I felt that the people I met enriched my life so much, and I felt that I was the lucky one when I had the opportunity and good fortune to spend time with them." To successfully achieve her occupational objectives, Hirsch attended University of Maryland Baltimore County, where she earned a Bachelor of Art in sociology and social work. She also holds a Master of Social Work, Certificate of Aging, from the University of Maryland, School of Social Work. She began her career in 1978 as director of Govans Senior Center in Baltimore, and held various prominent posts – including manager, service planning and evaluation unit, for the Baltimore County Department of Aging – prior to relocating to Las Vegas in 2005, where she served as regional director of the Southern Nevada region for the Alzheimer's Association desert southwest chapter prior to joining the then-Lou Ruvo Brain Institute in 2008 as director of social services. She has held the same post with Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health since 2010. In this capacity, Hirsch has developed a comprehensive range of community education, outreach and social service programs for caregivers of loved ones with incurable neurocognitive disorders. With her primary focus on "caring for the caregiver" — a philosophy that serves as an integral component of the Cleveland Clinic's mission — Hirsch recognizes that caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, ALS and other dementias can be emotionally taxing and physically exhausting, affecting not only the individual, but the entire family. Her programs are designed to provide knowledge, develop skills and foster well-being. "We can provide a sense of community, hope and support for people at a very challenging part of their lives," said Hirsch, who is a founding member of the Nevada Lifespan Respite Care Coalition as well as a member of the Nevada Aging and Disability Services Division regional planning group. "We are always looking for innovative ways to try and connect with the community and further the vision of (Lou Ruvo Brain Institute founder) Larry Ruvo." Under Hirsch's direction, the center offers a free weekly education program for caregivers and their families as well as a monthly support group to help those who have loved ones with memory loss. "The support groups at the Lou Ruvo Center gave me the tools I needed to be a better caregiver," said Jean Georges, who was a caregiver to her husband with Alzheimer's disease before his passing in 2012. "I would have felt lost without Susan. She not only listens, but she hears, she remembers and she truly cares. She's inspired me to come back and be a volunteer at the center so that I can help others the way her programs helped me." Since assuming her current post, Hirsch implemented Healthy Living up to Me, an evidence-based, six-week series run by peer volunteers that helps caregivers focus on themselves. "Caregivers may neglect their own well-being during such a difficult and challenging time, so we focus on healthy living choices," said Hirsch, who in 2011 also established a community outreach initiative featuring presentations designed to increase public awareness and visibility of the social services offered at the center. "I am so proud of our community outreach initiative, which was originally developed to address Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's is one of the most feared diseases, yet people have very little understanding of it unless they have had experience with the disease. The presentations are held in community settings and have reached more than 2,000 individuals." Hirsch has also broadened the scope of the center's reach throughout Nevada by means of videoconferencing broadcasts in Pahrump and Elko, and intends to find additional ways to use technology to expand the center's education programs. "It's so rewarding to be advocating for caregivers and their families, and to increase knowledge and build skills and provide services and resources to complement the center," she said. —D.B. DR. DAVID SILVERBERG FOR BEING HONORED AS A 2013 HEALTHCARE HEADLINER BY VEGAS INC 702.216.2670 3006 S. Maryland Parkway, Ste. 570 | Las Vegas, NV 89109 info@silverstateortho.com | www.silverstateortho.com CORONADO SUNSET MEDICAL CENTER 6460 Medical Center Street, Las Vegas, Nevada On the West Sunset Road Exit of I-215 Directly adjacent to Southern Hills Hospital WILL BUILD TO SUIT 1,681 TO 7,859 SQ. FT. AVAILABLE. GROUND FLOOR OR VIEW LOCATIONS. FREEWAY SIGNAGE AVAILABLE. Exclusive Leasing & Management By COMMERCIAL SPECIALISTS | 702.364.0909 20130415_VI01_I.indd 15 4/11/13 3:19:11 PM