Tammy Dziak, Federal Way Senior Commission member, spent most of her life helping seniors — and now as a senior, she continues the work.

Dziak, 65, grew up throughout the U.S., but ended up in Federal Way when she was 32. Her involvement with seniors began when she worked as a nurse’s aide at 16.

Ever since she was young, Dziak said she has valued seniors, and she had a vision of running an assisted living home because she didn’t want seniors to be warehoused. She said she wanted people to realize taking care of seniors is a privilege.

So, Dziak said she went on to study healthcare administration, which led her to help manage assisted living homes. Following years of that, in 2007, Dziak said she attempted to start an animal rescue. But with the recession, that didn’t pan out, so she went on to start her next senior endeavor. Dziak said that in 2008, she started the business she still runs today, Affinity Senior Transitions.

“I had a lot of people that knew what I had worked in senior care for a long time, and they used to call me and say, ‘Tammy, I have questions. Mom needs a place to go, or mom wants to stay at home. What do I need to do to keep her at home?’ And so, for free, I’d offer this advice,” Dziak said. “Then, one day, somebody told me I should open a business that does this.”

What she does is geriatric case management. Dziak said families often will have a mother or father who realistically would live better at a senior living facility or assisted living, but it’s difficult for them to have their kids tell them what to do. So, Dziak said when she comes in, she brings a new perspective to moving and life-changing and can ease the pain of moving for a senior. In addition to helping with transitions, Dziak said she creates a care plan for seniors that she monitors to ensure that things are going well, that they’re getting their medicine, that doctor appointments are made, and that they’re getting to their doctor appointments, among other things.

Dziak said she joined the commission about three years ago because Federal Way City Councilmember Susan Honda told her about the opening. Dziak said she wanted to join the commission to bring awareness to the older population. She said Federal Way needs to be a city that is built for them and is inclusive of them.

Dziak said one thing that is important for seniors is just acknowledging that they exist. She said many seniors would be happy to just get a smile in public, a hello, and a compliment. She said in particular, seniors who are veterans love talking about military experiences, such as which branch they served in.

One goal she would like to realize as a senior commission member is the establishment of a senior resource officer. She said people could call this officer, and seniors could ask for help with things such as fixing a wheelchair, or if they’re are looking for plumber. She would like to create a resource guide of services that are vetted and reliable. In addition to that, Dziak said she would like to see better public transportation for seniors.

Dziak would also like to see a dedicated senior center or more activities at the Federal Way Community Center for seniors. She said there just isn’t enough senior support right now to make enough activities happen at the community center.

“Just because people are blessed to get another year under their belts, doesn’t mean they’re old, and nothing wrong with being old, but old has a negative connotation,” Dziak said. “Please stop and say hi. Please stop and acknowledge their presence. They are people. They have worked, they’ve helped build this country, they’ve brought people into the world, they’ve raised, they’ve educated, they’ve created.”