For twenty years, Sarah Middlebrook has served older adults at United Methodist Retirement Communities (UMRC). She was first hired as a caregiver at Kresge Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center while the state-of-the-art Towsley Village Memory Care Center was being built. Once completed, Sarah began working at Towsley Village as a Resident Care Assistant (RCA). “I really […]
Not long ago, three Kresge Center Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) had very different jobs. David Smith provided in-home care. Hannah Dunsmore cared for pets. Maggie Stafford waited tables. Then they learned about UMRC’s CNA Career Pathway Program. For each of them, the program has been life-changing. “I had been looking for a different direction,” says […]
When Emily Weber of Ann Arbor was 6 or 7, she told her dad she wanted to work in a nursing home when she grew up. Today a Resident Care Assistant (RCA) at Towsley Village Memory Care Center, Emily is living out her calling to provide care and compassion for older adults. “Since I was […]
As the daughter of immigrants, Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant Janet Stover didn’t have her grandparents around when she was growing up. It’s why she loves working with older adults at UMRC’s Huron Valley PACE in Ypsilanti. “I love hearing their stories.” In her occupational therapy role at Huron Valley PACE, Janet helps participants live more […]
Even during her first career as a customer service representative with Northwest Airlines, Julia Szuper’s favorite part of her job was working with older adults. Upon retiring from the airline, this mother of three decided to pursue her passion and completed her bachelor’s degree in gerontology at Madonna University in 2014. Since then, Julia has […]
Prairie Cottage resident Paul Dohr has been creating art for most of his ninety years. He grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin during the Great Depression, one of nine children. At 17, Paul graduated from high school, knowing in another year he would join the Navy to serve in World War II. In the meantime, he […]
For 25 years, Bertie Hubbard from Dexter owned her own daycare and preschool. Today, Bertie serves older adults as a full-time dietary aide at Chelsea Retirement Community (CRC). “Now, I have the big kids,” she laughs. Over the last six years at CRC, Bertie has built close relationships with the residents and knows many of […]
“The love God gives you, you have to give to others. Love is the most important thing you can have. With love, you have peace.” -Delores Chatigny A retired hospice director, Dolores Chatigny grew up in the Catholic faith. A member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Dexter, Dolores serves as a Eucharistic minister, taking […]
Dawn Buchbinder, LMSW, has cared for older adults at Thome PACE in Jackson since it opened in 2016. “I learn so much from the participants,” says Dawn. “They are so respectful and appreciative. At this stage of life, they long for a sense of family, and Thome PACE provides that for them. It’s a great […]
Self-taught Michigan artist Catherine McClung delighted an audience of Chelsea Retirement Community residents and local community members with her work entitled, “Birds of the Bible,” a watercolor mural now on display at Chelsea Retirement Community. This magnificent work took Catherine over two years to complete – the culmination of fourteen years of Bible study and […]
