Inside Athena: Marlborough Hills Activities Assistant Enjoying Her New Career
Santiago (left) with fellow Activities Assistant Jackelyn.
MARLBOROUGH, M.A. — Carmen Santiago became a member of the Marlborough Hills Rehabilitation & Health Care Center recreation team six months ago and has loved her time as an Activities Assistant.
“I’ve always been interested in working with older people because my previous job I was working with special needs kids for 30 years. I retired and I was thinking about working with older people,” she said.
Her job entails making sure residents are having fun. It could be through trivia, games, or, maybe her favorite: dancing. The team puts on all sorts of events and activities for residents to partake in including holiday parties, guest visits, and arts and crafts.
“They’re my family,” Santiago said referring to the residents and staff. “I love it. This is a new experience for me.”
One of her favorite parts of the job is seeing the residents happy and socializing with each other. It’s the sights of seeing residents interact and the sounds of hearing them laugh that create joyful moments for Santiago.
Santiago with resident Ceasar during Puerto Rican Festival in August, 2023.
“Carmen is an amazing worker who is dual language and can interact with both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking residents. Carmen is here every day, never misses a day of work. She is a dedicated worker. I am truly lucky to have her on my team,” Melissa Maldonado, Director of Recreation, said.
Santiago is from Puerto Rico and has lived in Massachusetts for four years. It brings her happiness to share her culture with residents and make Marlborough Hills feel like home.
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