A Life Defined by Growth

It’s amazing how God works out even the tiniest of details in our lives. I believe He was warming the soil for me to serve Elders at the age of 10. Our church took the youth to a nursing home which is how my love for Elders began. It was there that I first met a woman who had Alzheimer’s Disease. She wasn’t able to voice her emotions, but you could see her affection for children as we entered her room. She enjoyed the simple pleasure of someone brushing her hair and I was blessed to be given the assignment of brushing her long, beautiful hair. A smile and the warmth of a human hand was all she needed to give her a moment of happiness. Of course, at that young age, the realization of having a career working with Elders was not in my foresight.

 My journey of working with Elders began when I was in my early twenties. In 1995, MRC PineCrest  hired me as a new graduate vocational nurse. The warm welcome from the Elders and team members was overwhelming. The guidance and support received from leaders early on in my employment helped pave the pathway of my career. Immediately, I knew this was the place I would call home and it was definitely my home away from home.

After almost a year of working as a Unit Charge Nurse in Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing, the Director of Nursing expanded my responsibilities to work as the Staff Development Director. It was at this time, I realized my love of teaching. Training and conducting community wide in-services with all team members allowed me the freedom to explore creative ways to educate. This was great experience for me in understanding how to navigate interpersonal relationships with employees and interconnecting this with teaching them to create a warm and inviting culture for both the Elders and all care partners.  There were other promotions with MRC PineCrest helping shape my personal and professional development: Human Resources Director, Licensed Nursing Home Administrator and Executive Director. In 2018, I became the Vice President of Operations for MRC overseeing four communities and was also the Executive Director for two of those continuing care retirement communities. This gave me a broader scope of experience and allowed me to get to know more of our Elders throughout the MRC system. With all of these roles, it afforded me the opportunity to teach, mentor and coach many people.

 I am extremely grateful for the road traveled and for the different experiences it has given me throughout my life. I am now privileged to continue my journey as an Eden Educator for The Eden Alternative where I have the opportunity to instill a culture of lasting and fulfilling change for MRC. Eden Alternative is all about facilitating opportunities for continual growth. As someone who has been growing personally and professionally, I am honored to create those same opportunities for others.    

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