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Woman stops driving, travels with SCAT
By Jewell Cardwell
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Monday, Sep 01, 2008
When it comes to her age — 90 — Edith ''Edie'' Brunnett handles it like it's the speed limit.
Talk about motivated. She still works.
And she's an engaging conversationalist and a delightful personality.
I caught up with the Akron woman last week on her job.
Edie is a respite provider for United Disabilities Services, giving about eight hours of relief a month for each of the three families in her care.
Edie, long retired from Ohio Bell with 271/2 years of service, learned she just wasn't the stay-at-home type. ''I can't stand sitting around,'' she bristled.
So, she got very busy looking for a job that would be the perfect fit.
She happily found that in Time for Me. She has been with the agency for eight years and counting.
Her work ethic is nothing short of incredible, kind of like that U.S. Postal Service oath of old: ''Neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.''
Consider something Lisa Armstrong, UDS' communications coordinator, said about her: ''Four years ago, at age 86, Edie began experiencing some vision problems and had to give up driving. But it certainly hasn't stopped her from serving the families who have come to depend on her.
''She now uses SCAT to get to and from the homes of the families she serves.''
Betty and Jack Pfaff of Cuyahoga Falls are certainly grateful for Edie's visits.
Jack, a quadriplegic because of a spinal cord injury from a 1996 motorcycle accident, eagerly sang Edie's praises.
''I think she's just great,'' Jack reported.
''She feeds me and she talks to me. She's very pleasant. And she's a lifelong Democrat who likes watching C-SPAN as much as I do.''
Edie doesn't cook. ''But she puts it [the meal] together just fine,'' Jack was quick to say.
She also keeps him well-hydrated with his favorites: water, green tea and Kool-Aid.
Betty Pfaff, Jack's wife of 42 years, was just as effusive with praise, adding that she knows she's leaving Jack in good hands when she needs to run errands or visit her own doctor.
The Pfaffs also have a nurse's aide who comes to the home two hours a day.
According to Edie, a petite woman with a penchant for dressing fashionably, her respite job fulfills her early dream of becoming a nurse.
The Winchester, Ky., native tells the story of her father sending her to nurse training school at Memphis (Tenn.) Baptist Hospital, but she had to abandon her studies when money ran out.
So when the respite provider opportunity presented itself, she jumped at it.
That meant going through the required background check and taking CPR and first-aid classes. She does not give medication.
''The job gets me out of the house,'' Edie said. ''And I love being around people.''
Jack Pfaff, 67, who retired from Ford Motor Co., gives Edie the nod about retiring too early. ''I know I've had enough of retirement,'' Pfaff lamented.
''I would be busy and I would be up on my motorbike.''
But he can live vicariously through his respite provider's exploits.
Edie Brunnett is active in Goodyear Heights United Presbyterian Church, and volunteers with the American Red Cross. ''I also love playing bingo,'' she said.
Respite coordinator Barb Van Fosson said that although Edie is the program's oldest provider, she's certainly capable.
''Age doesn't have anything to do with it,'' Van Fosson said. ''We have some other providers who are in their 70s and 80s.''
The respite providers are paid by the hour.
To qualify for UDS' respite care, participants must be 60 or older and have a serious health impairment or a diagnosis of Alzheimer's.
By the way, Edie Brunnett's earlier work resume — before Ohio Bell — included stints at Goodyear Aerospace and Firestone in the 1940s. Edie has one daughter, two grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
''One of Edie's clients also recently celebrated a 90th birthday and says she enjoys having the company of someone her own age, like Edie, to talk to about current events and politics,'' Armstrong said.
''She's such a great example of how many seniors are leading productive lives and helping others along the way.''
Like someone whose name escapes me once said, you're never to old too dream, and never too old have your dream come true.
Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.
When it comes to her age — 90 — Edith ''Edie'' Brunnett handles it like it's the speed limit.
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