Guided by respect and humility

For the past 21 years, visitors to Consulate Health Care of Lakeland, in Lakeland, FL, have been greeted by the same cheerful face. Claire Acquarola has enthusiastically served as the receptionist and accounts payable representative for over two decades. According to Diana Gonzales, the staff coordinator at Lakeland, “Claire has one of the hardest and busiest jobs here. Her customer service is on point every day.” 

Acquarola sees it differently. “I consider myself the low man on the totem pole,” she commented. “I have such respect for the CNAs and nurses.” That demonstration of respect is a perfect example of how Acquarola lives by Consulate’s core values each day. Although she doesn’t have all of the answers, she knows who to contact for a solution.

The pandemic has added new responsibilities to Acquarola’s job. Of course, she is still managing the phone calls into the care center. But now, with the doors of the care center locked, she has to get up to greet any visitors at the door. At the same time, the residents are visiting her to handle accounts payable. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, residents are allowed to have visitors who have made appointments in advance. When the visitors arrive for their appointment, Acquarola screens them with a temperature check and a list of Covid-related questions. From that screening, the guests are guided from the outside of the building to a special screened visiting room. To handle all of this added responsibility, Acquarola sweetly comments, “Okay, I’m going to take a deep breath and someone’s going to have to wait.” Everyone present is happy to oblige.

Acquarola has a rich life outside the care center too. With three children, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild, she has a lot of love to spread at home. With her boundless energy, she doesn’t have any intention of retiring from her job in the near future. “What would I do with my time? I would miss my job terribly,” she said. Everyone who knows her is thankful that she will continue to be the welcoming face of the care center for years to come.