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Although she still carries a heavy Bosnian accent (it only adds to her charm), after 27 years here, Bowling Green is her home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have nothing there since the war,\u201d Aida said of Bosnia. \u201cBowling Green is home.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aida worked for Scott\u2019s Tobacco Company and Morningside Assisted Living in Bowling Green for years before Scott\u2019s Tobacco relocated, and she was referred to Charter Senior Living. It was easy for her supervisor at Morningside to give her a glowing referral. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe doesn\u2019t miss days, and she doesn\u2019t get sick. She\u2019s a machine,\u201d Charter\u2019s senior executive director, Jim Britt, said. \u201cA wonderful, beautiful machine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Growing up in Bosnia, Aida lived with her grandparents, an experience that fostered a special bond with older adults. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou know how it is with older people \u2014 like little kids, you know,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re close to my heart, like family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aida works six days a week. If she takes a day off, she said she misses her residents. And\u00a0she\u2019s never late to work, according to Britt. In fact, she\u2019s never late to anything. Why?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t like people who are late,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only punctual, resilient, and warm-hearted, Aida is fiercely loyal. As a caregiver, she forms close bonds with her residents, often staying with them until their passing. Even then, her care does not end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI always stay in touch with the family when a resident passes away,\u201d she said. \u201cI get Christmas cards and birthday cards from the family saying they appreciate my care.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Aida\u2019s compassion extends far beyond the workplace; she quietly buys residents toiletries and gifts with her own money and visits people in the hospital during her personal time. She treats everyone like family \u2014 residents, colleagues, and even random writers calling for an interview. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You wouldn\u2019t know it by her warmth or contagious smile, but life\u2019s challenges have not spared Aida, even in the States. Two and a half years ago, her husband, Mago, affectionately known as \u201cBig Man,\u201d passed away unexpectedly\u00a0from a massive heart attack. Despite the heartache, she was back at work seven days later, smiling through her tears and loving on coworkers and our residents, according to Britt.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s life,\u201d she said with a sigh. \u201cI have my kids, my God-kids, and my grandkids. They\u2019re good kids.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now blessed with two granddaughters and a grandson, Aida cherishes every moment spent with her family. One of her sons lives on the same street, and the other is just 12 miles away. She sees them almost every day. And beyond work hours, she devotes herself to caring for people, making food, delivering gifts, running errands, and showering her grandkids with love. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think the hardships in Aida Kurjack\u2019s life helped form her into the amazing woman she is today,\u201d Britt said before presenting Aida with the Kentucky Outstanding Caregiver of the Year award. \u201cCaregiver is more than a job title for Aida; it is who she is to everyone in her life, and to be in her life is a blessing for all of us.\u201d GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" IN THE midst of the Civil War, Aida Kurjack and her family left their war-torn homeland of Bosnia in the \u201890s, seeking refuge in Croatia before finding their way to the United States through Austria. Settling in Bowling Green, with virtually nothing, the Kurjack family faced an uphill battle, grappling with a new language, culture, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":20830,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/bowling-green\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/10\/1-1-1024x683.png\")
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