As we slowly and safely emerge from the pandemic. We are hopeful! We are hopeful for times of great reunion, joy and happiness. This month we would like to highlight a few members of our Health Services leadership team and their stories. We are forever grateful for their stories and you might want to grab a tissue.
Meet Mia Owen, Director of Nursing of Health Services. She started at Epworth Villa March of 2020. Mia has 30 plus years’ experience in nursing. She has spent over half of her career in leadership roles serving the geriatric population which is where her true passion lies. Read on to hear her story………..
“This past year, we all were experiencing feelings of fear and an overwhelming need to protect the residents we serve. One of my first obstacles was to guide our staff in overcoming their fears of Covid-19. Through discussion, education, and demonstration we learned to trust the process and the importance of maintaining compliance with the use of the PPE (Personal, Protective, Equipment) and hand hygiene. It is with great pride that I witnessed our front-line staff learn to be brave, fearless, and confident.
Social distancing and no visitation were the hardest things for me, personally. I missed interacting with the residents. It was a dark time for us all. As families called, I could hear the fear in their voices. One of the family members asked me to love their parents like they were my own. This made me cry because I could feel and understand their pain. I TOO had the very same feelings when my father developed Covid. I took him to the ER and as he entered the double doors, I thought it might be the last time I would see him. I am thankful it wasn’t, but I could and do empathize with all of our families. Now that we have been able to re-open for visitation, I cannot explain how much I love to hear our residents and their families singing and laughing again-something we will never take for granted. It brings me joy and blesses my soul!”
