The Highest Reward
From L to R: Tara Pletcher, Bob Speelman, Christina Lucas, Ricky Coe
November 30, 2017NOTE: This story is from the blog of Atlas Healthcare Solutions and Cumberland Pointe Care Center owner, Bob Speelman. Each week Bob works as a nursing assistant at one of his facilities in order to better understand his company motto of "Supporting Superior Care."
I had the opportunity to work this week at Cumberland Pointe, our 98 bed nursing facility in St. Clairsville, Ohio. I worked on a unit with two outstanding nursing assistants - Christina Lucas who has been at Cumberland for 10 years, and Ricky Coe who has been there for 13 years. I primarily worked with Christina, but was extremely impressed with the teamwork between Christina and Ricky. Whether it was during meal time, checking and changing resident or transferring residents, they worked as a team. Not only with Christina and Ricky, but the Nurses and the Therapy department as well. There was a wonderful team spirit that I witnessed through the day that was extremely impressive.
While working with Christina, I was immediately struck by her confident, calm and loving demeanor. Whether she was interacting with residents, family members or other staff members, Christina was someone who has clearly earned everyone else’s respect.
We were in and out of one resident’s rooms throughout the day. One resident, a younger man in his late fifties or early sixties, had a stroke and is on a long road to recovery. He’s lucky enough to have a wife that spends every day with him at the facility helping him recover and keeping his spirits up. Noticing that the wife hadn’t eaten all day, Christina provided her with a meal and insisted that she stopped to eat. That’s the above and beyond care that we are always searching for!
Another resident was a bariatric resident with large pressure areas that needed to be healed. We were in the room with the nurse and a couple of STNAs helping to treat those areas. All the while, the nurse aides were talking to the resident, and one was rubbing her leg to sooth her and bring her comfort because the treatment was painful. It brought a tear to my eye. No matter how difficult and complex the healthcare industry gets, it always comes back to the basics of loving and caring for your residents.
In another room we popped in simply because Christina wanted to check on the resident. She was going home Friday, and while she was in the hospital her husband had passed away. She just wanted to hug her and see how she was doing.
Toward the end of the day while we were talking, Christina shared that her mom was at the hospital today having test done because she wasn’t doing well. She is going back Friday to have more tests done. You could tell Christina was concerned. All day long she was concerned about her mother, but that never stopped her for loving and caring for each and every resident.
Today I saw our caregivers giving.
They gave to our residents.
They gave to the resident’s families.
They gave to each other.
I had the privilege of working with a group of selfless individuals that gave everything expecting nothing in return. I’m truly humbled by how great our people are.
“The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.”
- John Ruskin
Thank you Christina, Ricky and the team at Cumberland Pointe. My heart is full of pride for what I was able to see and experience with you.
Bob Speelman, STNA
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