Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, healthcare workers have been on the front lines of the battle, doing what they do best—caring for people. This pandemic was not a battle they signed up for but it is one they are fighting valiantly. When we think about who these healthcare workers are, our thoughts typically turn to hospitals and their brave employees. While these practitioners deserve enormous accolades for their efforts, there is another category of frontline heroes that is too often forgotten. I am referring to the employees and staff members of nursing homes.
As a nursing home employee myself, I would like to share some of what I observe on the job. Nursing home teams are among the most dedicated and hard-working people I have ever met. Nurses, CNAs, therapists, social workers, dietitians, housekeeping and administrative staff, to name a few, take extraordinary measures to care for their residents and their residents’ families every single day. They have continued to do so through this terrible pandemic. These individuals carry on with their selfless work with little fanfare or recognition. They have chosen greatness.
In all of the facilities in which I work, administrators go above and beyond the call of duty to bring joy to our residents and staff members every day, and especially during this extraordinarily challenging time. I’ve seen staff members and residents enjoying dance parties with administrators acting as DJs. During these parties, team members have taken to calling in song requests, infusing additional energy and excitement. I’ve seen positivity gardens planted on residents’ floors with bright colors and pictures to brighten their days. Despite a necessary visitation restriction, facilities are scheduling “distant” family visits through ground floor windows, allowing residents some much-needed face time with their loved ones while upholding safety protocols. As the weather is getting nicer, barbecues are beginning to take hold so that staff and residents can feel a bit of normalcy in an overwhelmingly challenging time. And in perhaps my favorite example of administrative creativity, our administrators have organized local police and fire departments to stage drive-by parades, honking their horns to salute our staff and residents.
Our network of nursing homes also includes a pediatric facility where our most vulnerable residents reside. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, these residents enjoyed going to school, spending time outside and living like regular children as best they could. Our teams are educating, entertaining and providing the best care for our pediatric residents around the clock. These team members, caring for children, are among the most compassionate individuals on the planet. Spend five minutes with one of them and you will see what I am talking about. They have created unbreakable bonds with vulnerable children and they deserve our recognition. They are doing what few people sign up for; they are doing God’s work. They have chosen greatness.
Each of our facilities houses a large population of long-term residents. Our staff members connect and engage with these residents for years—essentially becoming family. Anyone who works in a long-term-care facility can attest to the family-like relationship between staff members and residents. They laugh together, cry together and ultimately bring dignity and companionship to residents’ end-of-life years.
Oftentimes, when we think of greatness, we think of those in positions of power or authority: CEOs, presidents, people who have their names etched on buildings. But greatness can be a choice that one makes, every moment of every day. Our team of nurses, healthcare aides, social workers, therapists and countless others are battling on the front lines of COVID-19. They have chosen greatness.
The next time you see a friend or a neighbor who works in a nursing home, please salute them for the work they are doing and join them in choosing your own form of greatness.
Ari Ashkenas is the VP of HR and Culture for Philosophy Care Centers. He is a member of the Fair Lawn community where he resides with his wife and four children. He can be reached at [email protected].
