During Historic Storm, Lutheran SeniorLife Therapist Refuses to Turn Away

The morning of Monday, January 26, arrived under an unforgiving winter sky. A powerful weekend storm had blanketed Butler County with more than 12 inches of snow, the region’s heaviest single-day snowfall since 2010. Temperatures sat well below freezing, and wind chills threatened to plunge into the negatives. Side roads were undriveable, plows fought to keep major roads passable, and most residents did what the weather demanded of them: stay inside.

For Jacque Grguras, a Physical Therapist Assistant on the Lutheran SeniorLife Rehabilitation team, there was a reason to go out: LIFE Butler County participant Clara Matter.

That morning, Matter was scheduled to come into the LIFE Butler Center. She could not, the snowstorm made sure of that.

Grguras could have documented the absence and moved on. Instead, she drove to Penn Mar, to Matter’s apartment. Matter was on her caseload, and something about the situation did not sit right.

Matter had told her no, she did not want Grguras to come inside. Her furnace was broken, she explained, and she worried about Grguras getting cold. The thermostat was set to 85 degrees, but the vents pushed out only cold air. Inside the apartment, the temperature had fallen to 60 degrees. Matter stood in silky pajamas, apologetic and considerate, more concerned about someone else’s comfort than her own safety.

It would have been easy to respect the no and leave. Grguras did not.

She went inside because her gut told her to, and because experience told her this was not a situation to walk away from, and care sometimes means insisting.

Later, Lutheran SeniorLife President and CEO David Fenoglietto would say that had Grguras ignored that instinct, the day could have ended much differently. Amy Ferrill-Olson, Director of Rehabilitation Services for LIFE Programs, would say Grguras did not take no for an answer when her gut and God told her to keep going. But in the moment, it was Grguras standing in a cold apartment, recognizing that this was not safe, and choosing to act.

The apartment was chilly, and Grguras knew this was not a safe living situation, so she went straight to the front desk at Penn Mar and reported the broken furnace.

Staff responded quickly. They had an extra furnace on site and could replace it that day.

There was just one problem: the furniture was in the way. So Grguras moved it.

She moved heavy pieces so maintenance could reach the unit and helped Matter get dressed in warmer clothing. Grguras made sure Matter moved, stayed active, and didn’t succumb to the cold. Grguras stayed as the furnace was replaced, and when the heat finally returned, Grguras could feel the warm air filling the room, along with a sense of relief.

“You always do an amazing job, and I couldn’t be more thankful for everything you do,” said Jean Gartner, LIFE Butler Center Director, after learning what had unfolded that morning.

Amy Stewart, Corporate Director of Rehab, called Grguras’ actions compassionate and caring, noting that the day could have ended very differently for the participant and her family.

“We are blessed to have you on our LIFE Butler team!” said Stewart.

Matter’s daughter was also filled with a sense of relief. Unable to reach her mother’s apartment herself because of the storm, she was grateful to know someone had been there, advocating, communicating, and ensuring her mother’s safety.

Grguras made that call, too. She explained what had happened, what had been fixed, and what could have gone wrong. In another version of the day, the furnace stays broken, the temperature keeps dropping, and the storm keeps people away. Who knows what the outcome could have been?

Instead, the heat came back on and praise followed Grguras from many leaders of Lutheran SeniorLife. But she deflected it, as people of her character often do.

“I did what so many of us all would have done,” she said. “I work for and am led by some of the very best, caring and compassionate people. You support and encourage us to truly care and provide what the people who count on us need. Every day we all have the opportunity to share God’s love, and I am blessed to work for an organization that promotes such an environment.”

And then, like so many days she has had since April of 2000, she went on to the next thing, believing this was simply the work she is supposed to do.