The Fort Worth City Council honored Thrisha Sukesh, a junior at Trinity Valley School, during the scheduled council meeting at New City Hall on Tuesday evening, September 16.
Place 3 Council Member Michael D. Crain introduced Ms. Sukesh and presented her with a proclamation recognizing her work with Dementia-Friendly Fort Worth. The proclamation also highlights the important role that dementia-friendly businesses play in the Fort Worth community.
Ms. Sukesh recognized Gail Snider, CEO of Dementia-Friendly Fort Worth, and thanked the many dementia-friendly businesses in the Fort Worth community. She shared how dementia is a personal matter for her because her grandfather suffers from the disease. She has personally seen how her grandfather’s dementia creates challenges for her entire family. In one sense, when a family member has dementia, that entire family is impacted by dementia.
Ms. Sukesh detailed how even routine experiences, such as having a haircut, can become overwhelming and confusing for the person with dementia, thus placing a strain on caregivers and loved ones. She shared how seniors facing issues such as dementia or mobility challenges often must uproot their lives to move closer to family for care and start over in a new community or city, away from places and people familiar to them. This situation increases their vulnerability.
While praising Fort Worth’s leaders for making the city dementia-friendly, she referenced the moment as a call to action because, in her words, “One day, we will be the seniors walking into those businesses. The kind of community we build today is the future we will inherit tomorrow.” She is actively reaching out to local businesses to encourage them to become dementia-friendly-certified and invites any interested companies to contact Gail Snider via gsnider@dementiafriendlyfw.org.
In addition to Thrisha Sukesh’s service with Dementia-Friendly Fort Worth, she has also been recognized as an outstanding volunteer at the James L. West Center for Dementia Care, where she also recruited more than 50 fellow students to volunteer and make Halloween bracelets and Thanksgiving centerpieces. She then led the students in hand-making greeting cards, delivering flowers, and playing the piano for the residents at The West Center.
This year, she has doubled her club’s membership and plans to continue raising awareness and supporting the James L. West Center for Dementia Care.
James L. West President/CEO Cheryl Harding, Ph.D., said, “Hopefully, what we experienced with Thrisha can be replicated by high school students across the United States.”
