March is Careers in Aging Month!
If you want to join a company where you can make a difference, consider applying for a job at SCES! SCES team members leave a lasting impact on our community, serving thousands across Somerville and Cambridge through our many programs.
The ability to help others and make a difference is what drives SCES Home Care Supervisor and Medford native Shamone Burns. Shamone joined SCES in 2013, right out of college. Although she started as a bilingual case manager—Shamone speaks Haitian Creole—she transitioned into other roles along the way.
Shamone’s journey at SCES has been defined by her dedication to helping others. Over the past 12 years, she’s nurtured strong connections with community members and helped bring in a cohort of volunteers for SCES’ yearly Thanksgiving meal delivery. In each of her roles at SCES, from case manager to intake specialist to supervisor, Shamone has made SCES’ mission her own goal: help others live and age in the setting of their choice.
“This is what I was put on this earth to do, to help, to take everything I learn and educate [others],” Shamone said.
As a member of the Home Care team, Shamone sees the critical need for accessible services for older adults. This is something she’s witnessed firsthand—her grandfather had Alzheimer’s. She said his quality of life would have been better if certain resources, like ombudsmen or health insurance assistance, had been more readily available to him.
“People don’t know about services for the elder population,” Shamone said. “They don’t see it until the need is there.”
Now, Shamone’s goal is to help others feel prepared to access services available to themselves or to a loved one. She urges others to think about their own parents and grandparents and consider the resources that would be the most helpful for their health and wellbeing. She brings this mission to her own community as well. As vice president of the Cambridge graduate chapter of Zeta Phi Beta, a service-oriented sorority, Shamone serves as an elder care advisor. She and 8–10 members of Zeta Phi Beta now have an annual tradition of volunteering for SCES’ Thanksgiving Day Meals on Wheels delivery.
Despite its rewards, Shamone admits case management is not always easy. It can be difficult and tiring to give so much time and effort day in and day out. Case managers can feel defeated in their line of work. But the benefits are many. Shamone stresses the importance of staying grounded and appreciating the small day-to-day wins.
“One of the most rewarding parts of the job is being a peace of mind for caregivers, especially those who feel like they don’t know where else to turn or what more they can do,” Shamone said. “You can be that comfort, so people know their loved one is being cared for by the best people who know that they’re doing.”
