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Roxanne Kennedy tossed and turned in bed one recent night.
Her husband guessed the source of her restlessness.
“Which one are you thinking about now?” he said knowingly.
Kennedy, a certified nursing assistant, had been worried about one of the residents at Davis Manor Assisted Living in Mountain Top. The resident hadn’t been feeling well when Kennedy finished her shift that day. Kennedy ended up calling into work and learned the woman was stable.
Her residents feel the same way about her, fretting over whether she’ll make it home safe when it snows and sleets.
“You’re like an extended family,” says the bright-eyed, soft-spoken Kennedy. “You can’t be detached.”
Keeping a distance may be possible for doctors or other medical treatment professionals who must perform a procedure and then move on to the next patient, she said.
“That’s a different story. I’m a caregiver. You’re caring for every part of that person, not just making sure they’re washed and eating. You have to make them feel loved.”
Kennedy has been working at Davis Manor for four years, falling into the career by chance. More than content being a stay-at-home mom, Kennedy saw a CNA advertisement when her daughter was a senior in high school. She pursued the opportunity because she was always interested in nursing, and she feels the job is her calling.
“I honestly can’t see myself doing anything else,” Kennedy said. “I feel this is what God put me here to do.”
The only other time she had stepped into a nursing home was outside the area, when Kennedy’s mother had been briefly placed in one.
Kennedy said she and her sister spent extensive time with their mother at the facility, and a row of lonely residents greeted them, begging the women to hold them and hug them. Kennedy said she and her sister would go down the line showing affection.
“They were craving contact,” Kennedy said.
She showers plenty of attention on her residents at Davis Manor, doing whatever it takes to make them feel at home.
In addition to feeding, washing and dressing residents, you’ll find Kennedy singing, holding hands, listening to stories and applying lipstick and rouge.
Like a detective, she interviews relatives to find out their favorite activities back home so she can try to incorporate them into their lives at Davis Manor. For example, one resident had a passion for ice cream, so she arranges for special deliveries of the sweet stuff to that person.
It’s not a one-sided relationship, she says. Kennedy collects useful wisdom, funny stories, history lessons and a genuine sense of appreciation from her residents.
“They don’t realize how much they give back to me,” she said. “Any little thing you do for them, they’re so grateful. They give you unconditional love.”
There are some trying moments. Residents who are in physical pain or suffering from dementia can get downright mean, but Kennedy’s learned how to let it roll off her back and not take it personally.
Kennedy resists the urge to perform tasks when the residents are capable.
“Simple things like washing their own face or brushing their hair can make them feel stronger. You have to make them feel useful,” she said.
The perception that the elderly are disposable angers Kennedy. She sees beyond wrinkled facades and ailments to get to know the person within.
“They’re just like me and you. These people once cared for others. They dressed their kids for Halloween and worked jobs. They deserve to have love and respect,” she says.