Inside Athena: Rehab Tech/C.N.A. Working at MeadowBrook of Granby Since 1997
Karen White at MeadowBrook of Granby
GRANBY, C.T. — Karen White started working with Athena Health Care Systems back in 1994 at Cherry Brook Health Care Center in Canton, Connecticut. She relocated to Massachusetts three years later with her young family and started working in the kitchen at MeadowBrook of Granby in the evening.
Today, she is a Certified Nursing Assistant and Rehabilitation Technician at the center. She has some longevity with the team and said she has not lost her compassion.
“I just love the Athena philosophy,” she said. “What really grips me and I was honored when I was asked to do this position was seeing the patients come in the building after being in the hospital to the point of not walking or really struggling to actually walking out that front door of our building. That is the crowning moment we see here in our therapy department.”
White has been in the nursing home setting since she was a young kid. Her mother worked as a C.N.A. in a facility so she and her brother would go there after school and mingle with residents while doing their homework in the T.V. room.
In her role as a Rehab Tech, she works closely with the therapists at the center with paperwork, bringing patients to and from therapy, ordering equipment for new residents, and more. She’s found happiness with her team and notes she’s not the only one with decades invested in the center. The reason being, she believes, is the team has a strong passion for what they do.
“I have nothing but admiration for the quality of people that work here. I feel that we have a lot of long-term staff here and they wouldn’t be here if they did not enjoy what they’re doing,” White said.
She also really enjoys working with seniors and learning about their life. It reminds her of the time spent at her mother’s place of work.
“[The residents] have a lot to offer. A lot of times I look at their face sheet to see what their occupation was, what they did and I like to start a conversation with them about what they like, what they did, how many children they have,” she said. “What I enjoy is the interactions with the therapists, all the staff, the doctors. I enjoy keeping busy. I always chuckle that I get paid to stay fit.”
Rehabilitation Director Stacey Rooney said, “Karen is delightful and such a great team player. She is always upbeat and positive, she always puts our residents and staff first and would drop whatever she is doing to help anyone. We are so fortunate to have her as part of our MeadowBrook family.”
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