We recently received a testimonial about an employee at Consulate Health Care of Norfolk, in Norfolk, VA. When we read through the letter submitted by one resident’s husband, we knew this was someone more than deserving of the spotlight. The employee’s name is Regina, and the resident is Christine.
Christine suffers from dementia and has severe memory loss. She came to live at CHC of Norfolk as she could no longer live on her own. Christine’s husband Dave is very involved in her day-to-day care, and because of this he took note of Regina and how she treats his wife.
From Dave’s letter, we learned that Regina is not only hard working, but also extremely compassionate. According to him, no other nurse shares the special bond that these two have. He said that he can always tell when Regina is not working because there is a tremendous difference in the way his wife is that day. Regina is helpful, understanding, and empathetic to his wife, and no one else compares in their minds. When we heard this, we had to meet Regina.
Regina has been working in healthcare for seventeen years, and has a tremendous amount of experience. She is currently an LPN at Norfolk, but aspires to go back to school to one day become an RN. She loves to teach and help the other nurses and CNAs to learn and grow. She is a team player and a mentor at the same time.
When we asked Regina about how she treats Christine differently than other nurses, she said “I pay attention to details, and I put myself in the family’s shoes”. Regina really focuses on the needs and requests of Christine’s husband. She knows that it’s important to him for Christine to have her eyeglasses on and so she always makes sure they’re clean and on for her.
Christine cannot communicate well, so Regina pays attention to her body language to understand her. She has a passion for what she does, but she also just has compassion for Christine. From managing her doctor’s appointments, to meeting with her family to discuss her care, Regina goes above and beyond when caring for Christine.
We asked Regina if she gives this same kind of care to all of her residents, or if Christine is special. She said, “I treat everyone the best that I can. I know that my residents are depending on me, and I like to spoil my residents to keep them happy. I just sleep better knowing I took good care of them”. Regina really sets herself apart from others in this field with her empathy and understanding of her residents.
Regina’s work ethic is absolutely noticed by the residents and their families. Regina has a scrapbook she has created that is filled with the notes and thank you cards from residents and their families over the years. She loves all of her residents and keeps these notes to remind her of each person who has touched her heart. The residents are her favorite part about working at CHC of Norfolk. She said that they always notice when she has a day off and they tell her how much they missed her when she comes back to work.
We asked Regina which Core Value she thinks is the most important and she said, “Compassion is the most important, because it is dealing with your heart. The residents can feel if you are caring for them with your heart, and it helps the patients adjust if they feel understood by you”. In our opinion, Regina is the epitome of what compassion really means. We are so thankful to have her and greatly appreciate all of the lives she has touched by just being herself.
Thank you for all that you do Regina!
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