My career in long-term care started just after high school. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I had the opportunity to take a free CNA class. I got a job as a CNA and discovered I absolutely loved working with older adults. I’ve now been working in long-term care for more than 10 years and I still love it.
You learn so much working with older adults. Some of the residents can be well into their 100s and they come from all over the world. Hearing how they grew up during the depression or World War II and learning about those experiences firsthand has no comparison. I love hearing stories from when they were kids and getting to laugh together.
After working as a CNA for a few years, I decided to leave long-term care to volunteer working with children in Tanzania. It was an incredible experience, but eventually I had to come home. When I returned from living and volunteering in Africa, my CNA certification had expired but I knew I wanted to get back into long-term care.
I started over as a caregiver in an assisted living community and then became a medication technician while I worked towards getting my CNA certification for the second time. I later had the opportunity to jump into the role of Activities Director. As the activities program evolved and community needs changed, I became the Campus Recreational Activity Director. Now I oversee a multi-community campus and a lead a team of three amazing activities assistants.
Activities is unique—we get to do a lot of the fun stuff. We get to give the residents new experiences and keep them connected with our surrounding community. There’s so much opportunity for creativity and connection.
Relationships are the best part of the job. There are residents that just want to hug you every day and tell you how much you mean to them.
One of the most memorable experiences for me was when we got to take one of our residents from here in Oregon to visit Mount Rushmore. It was something he had always wanted to do his whole life, and we were able to travel with him and make his dream come true. Another time, we were able fly out our resident’s sons so that they could attend a Hillsboro Hops baseball game together. I love being able to give the residents these meaningful experiences.
Even though it’s not always easy, we get to laugh and sit with the residents, chat, and spend quality time really getting to know them. Relationships are the best part of the job. There are residents that just want to hug you every day and tell you how much you mean to them.
I didn’t know when I started working in activities if it was wanted to do, but being open to possibilities gave me the opportunity to explore, find out what I love, and grow in my career.
My advice for someone thinking about working in long-term care is just go for it! It can be kind of scary to start something new but by getting your foot in the door and just jumping in, you’ll find out if you love it. There are so many possibilities. You won’t be disappointed.
