A Sense of Security

Minnie, Shira and Rosemarie

Not long ago, I looked in on Maggie. She lay in bed, restless, trying to get up, in obvious distress. She knew me, sort of, but I could not discover her trouble or comfort her. So I turned on her call light and waited for her aide. The young woman came through the door with a cheerful "What's the trouble?"

Maggie lit up like Christmas on steroids: "Oh, Danielle, you're here!" Restlessness vanished and she simply shone with joy. Whatever her trouble, Danielle's presence already made it better.

That incident inspired this article.

The spirit here speaks of care and comfort and safety. The residents experience consistent caregivers - they know the women and men who will be in and out of their rooms throughout the day and night. And they know they are loved. The dignity of the human person demands that we care for each and every one with love, but there is also the personal relationship that sees beyond the affliction to the heart of the person.

Staff at Halloween - Danielle is second from the left in the back

I saw that same Danielle this past weekend. It was "Donut Sunday" - a much anticipated first Sunday tradition where we serve donuts to the residents and families after Mass. Danielle came down to help serve. She did not even ask the residents what they wanted. "I know, you like cake donuts, but these have frosting. Is that okay?" "Here are your donut holes." It speaks an attention beyond "a job."

One reason for this is that our resident to CNA ratio is 8:1. Although this is an important ratio for comparing nursing homes, it is very difficult to find. There is no minimum requirement for CNA to residents ratio, but the fewer residents a CNA sees each day, the better the care that person receives.

As I walk the halls and see the interaction between residents and caregivers - staff and Sisters - the love on the one side and the feeling of security on the other manifests itself in an intangible spirit. It is part of what make us a Home.