Workforce

Careers in Aging Caregiver Profile

Lorraine A. Daher, MS OTR/L, Occupational Therapist at Oakpark Health & Rehabilitation Center in Palm Harbor

I have worked as an Occupational Therapist in a skilled nursing facility for the past 19 years. My career as an Occupational Therapist began in 1993 working in mental health, in an acute psychiatric unit in Massachusetts.

l spent 12 wonderful years working to help acutely impaired patients, most of them dual diagnosis (mental health diagnosis as well as substance abuse/dependence). When I moved to Florida with my husband and children, I was fortunate to begin working in skilled nursing facilities with acute, subacute, and long-term care patients.

This is when and where I truly found that my basic education and experience in mental health, as well as my knowledge of understanding what it means to be holistic, was not only an asset in my role as a therapist, but also a necessary part of being an Occupational Therapist.

I am a very cognitive-based Occupational Therapist who truly believes in the importance of understanding cognition – how the brain works and how it impacts every part of our function. Assessment and treatment to address this area of function is the basis for understanding the physical function of the individual, hence holistic, hence true occupational therapy intervention.

l initially received a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy in 1992, then advanced my education with a master’s degree in Non-Profit Management in 1999.

One of the best parts of working in long-term care is the connection with our residents. Whether or not they are in therapy for a brief time, or an extended amount of time, it is an opportunity for us as clinicians to optimize the patient’s function and safety. We are fortunate to use our basic skills and personalize them to meet the patient’s needs and improve their quality of life. When we see the long-term care residents in the facility; this is their home, and we are the guests. We must respect them and their needs.

Some of the qualities I embrace as a clinician is professionalism with compassion. With these two qualities it is possible to effectively intervene. We as clinicians are trained to start the intervention process by reviewing the patient’s history; however, it is only when we meet the patient in person that the true intervention takes place. We must have active listening skills and patience, along with keen observation to communicate with patients and to understand what the patient is telling us. With this combination, the process can only be successful.

It is also important that we work as a team; it is never about my or your skills alone, but instead the combination of all our skills together with a sense of humbleness. No one is the star clinician.

To anyone considering working in long-term care setting, I would first say to be sure you bring with you, along with your basic education and experience, your heart. Bring with you a sense of caring and desire to facilitate change, to make a positive difference in the quality of one’s life.

Careers in Aging Caregiver Profile

Caroline Holley, Occupational Therapist at Indian River Center in West Melbourne

While working in a camp for visually impaired children, the children often told me how their occupational therapist was the one who helped teach them how to do daily skills, and they would show me the adaptations they had in place at home. This inspired me to pursue a career in occupational therapy.

I have worked in long-term care for 20 years and have experience working with people of all ages – from less than one to over 100-years-old.

I started as an occupational therapy assistant but then went on to get my master’s and become an occupational therapist. I have specifically focused my studies on dementia care as well as driving rehabilitation.

I love watching the recovery from injury, helping people regain their independence and working toward an improved quality of life for people learning to participate in their own lives again.

I love working in long-term care because I have the chance to get to know people personally and assist them in the matters that are important to them.

Whether it is through adaptation or strengthening or modification, I am helping people find a way through their injury or illness as they learn to rely on themselves once again.

Long-term care is a rewarding area to work in because you get a chance to truly know the people you are working with and can help them in ways that are truly meaningful.

Careers in Aging Caregiver Profile

Shedena Alexander, CNA, Activities Director at Island Lake Center in Longwood

As the Activities Director at Island Lake Center, I have found my true calling. I can spend quality time with my residents each day, and the smiles on their faces are my validation that I am exactly where I am supposed to be.

I started working in long-term care over 30 years ago as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). When I first started as an aide, I didn’t have the same passion in my heart for long-term care that I do now. At the time, I was a young mother who just needed a reliable source of income and benefits.

Little did I know, one of my residents could tell that my heart was not in my work, and one day that resident taught me a lesson I will never forget. This 105-year-old woman looked me in my eyes and told me if I didn’t want to be there, I should leave. She explained that the residents in the center did not choose to be dependent on people helping them with basic daily functions. It was a life-changing conversation for me to understand what it was like for residents to experience such a significant transition in their lives as they enter long-term care. How it felt to be so independent your entire adult life, raising and caring for your children, and now to ask staff who you barely know sometimes to help you with things we take for granted like eating, bathing, and brushing your teeth.

That day I was humiliated, embarrassed, ashamed, and humbled all at the same time. That day of reckoning truly made me a better person, it made me more mindful of my environment, more compassionate, more caring, and more loving. From that day forth I came to work with a smile on my face and in my voice.

I happily continued my career as a CNA until I accidentally fell and broke my shoulder in three places in 2020. As if 2020 wasn’t bad enough due to the pandemic, I felt like when my residents needed me the most, I was going to be unable to physically take care of them.

That is when I learned that good deeds do not go unnoticed. I was unaware that my Administrator observed me on many occasions “going above and beyond with my residents” and saw something in me that I did not see in myself. She shared that she had noticed things I did in addition to my daily CNA duties, such as reading the Bible to residents who enjoyed it, singing with my patients while getting them ready in the morning, and making sure they had something to do during the day. My Administrator suggested that with this passion for providing residents with quality of life, I should further my education and become certified to become an Activities Director.  I moved into the position of Recreation Aide, and immediately fell in love with the department’s ability to provide meaningful activities and social events for our residents. I worked to obtain my certification through APNCC and became the Activities Director at my center in October of 2023.

In long-term care, we have the opportunity to meet and care for the most interesting people while listening to their stories, achievements, and hopes for themselves and their families. I enjoy encouraging my residents to continue doing what they love, and most importantly I enjoy giving them inspiration to live, laugh and love. I am Shedena Alexander, and in case I forgot to mention it, I love my career, my residents, my families, and my team of coworkers.

Careers in Aging Caregiver Profile

Janet McTaggart, RN, MDS Coordinator at Palm Garden of Jacksonville

I wanted to become a nurse from a very young age. Reading about diseases in medicals books and encyclopedias and having a mother who was often ill inspired me to become a nurse. I started my career in long-term care almost 31 years ago as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). I went on to become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), earn an associate degree in nursing and lastly, a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the Florida State College of Jacksonville.

Currently, I work as a care plan specialist completing Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments, care plans, and care plan meetings for a 120-bed center. I have been employed at the center for 23 years, so clearly, I enjoy what I do. It is very rewarding to me that I am helping to make a difference in the lives of the residents in the center as they deal with complex health issues. I think people who possess certain qualities, such as patience, compassion, and good interpersonal skills, would make a good fit in long-term care since the elderly population are very vulnerable and depend on others for love, attention, and physical and emotional support.

Careers in Aging Caregiver Profile

Meaghan Rivera, LPN, Unit Manager at Aspire at Brooksville

My career in rehabilitation and long-term care (LTC) started in 2014.  I had always aspired to become a nurse and started my journey as a staffing coordinator for a local long-term care facility. During this time, I worked my way up to admissions coordinator, and then branched into an outside marketing liaison.

Over the next few years, I marketed skilled nursing facilities and started an accelerated nursing program, where I graduated with my associate degree in nursing. Soon after, I moved into a Rehab Unit Manager position.

I think as nurses, we all have some sort of emotional attachment to our role. For me, I grew up in a household where my parents cared for my great grandparents, and learning of their conditions, I grew up understanding the impact of what these certain diagnoses can have on someone. I believe it drove me to become an empath and want to care for people.

I’ve always loved the idea of being there for people when they are most vulnerable, to be able to make a positive impact on their lives and support them when it comes to their health. I love Rehab/LTC nursing for the simple fact that the patients allow us into their world to be able to provide care and compassion.

Every day you can learn something new about your patients, what they’ve done in their lifetime, what they like and dislike, and what they are passionate about. Just by sitting and talking with patients for a few minutes, you can make the biggest impact, all while providing the best care for them and helping achieve their goals to be able to return to the community. Even the smallest of these interactions make a difference in their lives.

My relationship with my team at Aspire is important. Every day I come to the unit and ask them how their day is, I ask them what they need help with, and we embrace team building activities like decorating for holidays and unit potlucks. I encourage my team to learn one new thing about their patients each shift, and we talk about it.

As for my patients, I encourage them to decorate pictures to hang on the unit for holidays, so they feel they’re part of our unit. I speak to my patients every day and ask them how their morning or night was, I encourage them to share things about themselves, and tell us what we can do as a team to make their stay better. It is important that we regularly engage them in conversations to make them feel like they are heard and are comfortable in their environment.

For anyone thinking of entering a career in Rehab/LTC I encourage them to do so because the relationships you’ll make are life changing. The care and compassion you’ll give to your patient will not go unnoticed. A quote I love to reference is, “Be the change you want to see.” When you lead with compassion and drive, people tend to follow and lead in the same way, creating a cohesive and motivating work environment. The skill set you’ll develop will help you advance in your role and, in turn, give acquired expertise, innovation, and compassion enabling success in your career.