A lifetime of serving others

Elizabeth Borer began her career in long-term care in 1998. Since then, she has been a clinical educator, director of nursing, clinical quality specialist, and she will now embark on a new role with Consulate Health Care as the regional director of clinical services. Her journey has been a long one and has also been extremely rewarding. Elizabeth has spent her life serving those in need and has worked tremendously hard to better the lives of many residents throughout her career. For these reasons and more, Elizabeth has not only been promoted, but she was also recently appointed as the Florida Association Directors of Nursing Administration’s (FADONA) Region V Vice President. This is a huge achievement for Elizabeth and one that she is sincerely deserving of.

Elizabeth has dedicated her career to bettering the lives of patients and residents who need it most. She makes it her personal commitment to do everything that she can to make sure that the residents are not only cared for, but are provided with a happy and healthy environment to live in. Elizabeth once worked with a resident who, in her late 50’s suffered from uncontrolled blood pressure. After suffering a stroke and losing use of her entire right side, Elizabeth worked with her to slowly help her regain her autonomy and she was successful. However after Elizabeth had to leave the care center for a long period of time, she learned upon her return that the resident had suffered an additional stroke and was bed-bound. Believing fully that the resident could be healed, Elizabeth took it upon herself to spend 30 minutes each day reading to her after her shift was over.

One day, the resident suddenly responded to her reading with laughter. It was then that Elizabeth realized that there were no cognitive deficits with the resident and that she was going to be able to help her sit up in a wheelchair, eat a normal diet, and more. The resident was eventually able to do all of these things and even beyond all because of Elizabeth’s determination to really find out what was wrong with the resident. Elizabeth said, “This is an example of how empathy, respect, and love is so very necessary in our profession. Our job is to nurture, and develop a plan of care that is individualized for each and every resident.” This mentality is what sets Elizabeth apart from others.

Elizabeth leads her career with integrity, which she believes to be the most important Core Value. Elizabeth said, “It is crucial in building a trusting team; when this principle is missing or inconsistent, trust becomes compromised and we fail. We fail ourselves, our staff and most importantly, our residents. Integrity is the catalyst to providing safe, loving care.” Elizabeth exhibits this daily in her work as she does anything that she can to do what is right for the residents and also the people that she works with every day.

Elizabeth’s tenacity and drive is what eventually lead her to become a prominent member of FADONA. She had been a member of the organization for some time, but after hearing from a mentor that she should become more involved because “your fledglings of tomorrow need you,” she expressed interest in becoming a part of the board of directors. It wasn’t long before Elizabeth received a call from the President of FADONA, Susie Jensvold, another Consulate Health Care employee, appointing her as the Region V Vice President. Elizabeth was floored when she learned the news. She said, “I was ecstatic and honored to be a part of an amazing organization.”

With her new appointment, Elizabeth plans to recruit and promote the amazing benefits of becoming a member of FADONA to all nurse leaders in the Region V area, and improve the care that residents received in the post-acute care continuum. She believes that “by engaging our aspiring directors of clinical services to network and seek innovative ways to lead more effectively, the possibilities are endless.”

Consulate Health Care is so proud of Elizabeth’s accomplishments and thankful that she has chosen us to share her knowledge, experience, and passion with. Congratulations, Elizabeth! Keep up the good work!