Inside Athena: Southeast Rehab LPN Finds Rewarding 15 Year Career Caring for Residents
NORTH EASTON, M.A. — Gretchen McMahon spent 11 years working in a hospital and enjoyed it until she was laid off due to cuts.
When searching for a new job, the LPN found Southeast Rehabilitation & Skilled Care Center. She joined in 2009 and will celebrate 15 years of care this September.
“I like the people I work with. We all work well together,” she said. “They’re a good crew.”
On a day-to-day, she does a variety of tasks including resident care, preparing residents for appointments, medication counts, and much more. She does it all because she loves to work with the residents at the Massachusetts center.
“I like the older population. We owe them a lot. I think they deserve to be treated with respect. They taught us everything we know,” McMahon said. “I like the stories they can tell you.”
McMahon, who received her LPN from Southeastern Technical Institute, knows that sometimes a move away from home can be an adjustment for people. They are in a new setting and adapting to a change in their life. She is aware of the emotional impact that may have on new residents and wants them to feel comfortable, wanted, and needed, she said.
“I think of them as family as much as they may think of me as family because you, as workers, probably see a lot of these people more than family and they sometimes see you the same way… so you turn to lean on each other,” she said.
Through the 15 years at the center, she has worked with different leadership but is very happy with the current Administrator, Michele Clark, and Director of Nursing, Tammy Pereira.
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