My name is Tana Stone. I have been at LIFTT for about 9 months; I am a Program Facilitator for the Community First Choice Self-Directed Personal Assistance Services. (CFC/SDPAS) I love it here at LIFTT, and it is so rewarding to help the elderly and disabled remain in their homes for as long as they can. Being Self-directed, my consumers can choose who they are comfortable with as caregivers. I am the PCA Facilitator here in Glendive. The diversity of the people I work with, all have different needs; that is the part I love, getting to know my consumers. It is very important they feel comfortable with me as well.
Like many of our consumers and employees, I, too, live with disabilities. Depression, anxiety, OCD, and degenerative disk disease. Before coming to LIFTT, I did not think of my depression, anxiety, and OCD as disabilities. However, I have come to learn they are, and they play a significant role in our day-to-day lives. I do not let them define the person I am, but there are days when they do take over my life—not wanting to get out of bed, worrying about everything, even things that have not happened yet. I think letting people know the disabilities we all struggle with daily makes them not feel alone.
I am a single mom. I have my 16-year-old daughter at home, and my other two girls live on their own. I am also a grandmother of seven. I lost my son in a motorcycle accident, January 30, 2022, that is something I work through every day. I enjoy family time, getting everyone together to play games, or watching my grandkids. Before coming to LIFTT, I worked in admissions at Badlands Recovery Center. Summer is my favorite time of year; my daughter and I take our two dogs on walks. We love walking down Main Street and window shopping or stopping in for a frappe at one of our local coffee shops.
If you have any questions about LIFTT’s PCA Program, please feel free to reach out to me at (406) 948-2060 or tanas@liftt.org
About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.