Shine Some Light

Mariamma is by far, one of the best staff working for Carewest. She is always smiling, fair, honest, non-judgmental and respectful to all staff, residents and family members she talks with. Mariamma listens without making a snap decision. She is the type of person that Carewest could take a page from. Working with an individual who brings smiles to people’s faces, makes it that much more nice to work alongside with. ~Anonymous

Lola is a very caring staff member that wears her heart on her sleeve and treats all residents with respect, dignity and compassion. Lola does so many things outside of her scope of practice as well. A true unsung hero to other staff and residents. Keep up the outstanding work. ~Anonymous

To staff at the Fanning Centre: My dear friend has just passed away on the 3W continuing/complex care unit where I visited him weekly for the past few years. I just wanted to thank the staff at Fanning and especially those on his unit who gave him such wonderful and compassionate care for the years he spent there. His long struggle is now over, and he is in a happier place, but we are forever grateful for the loving kindness he experienced while he was under your devoted care. ~Ian Clarke

To Myi Myi at Glenmore Park: I wanted to reach out to let you know Myi Myi worked very hard yesterday for patient H.  H was having a sustained tachycardia and Myi Myi was very diligent on checking on H and keeping in contact with me. She also appropriately gave the patient nitro when she had chest pain, and we sent H to the emerg.  When the patient was sent back, Myi Myi contacted me, and we updated orders. She also called me later when the patient wasn’t doing well. Anyways, I wanted to recognize that this was a lot of work when she also has a full patient load!  She was very diligent, and I appreciated it very much.  H was fortunate to have Myi Myi on her team this weekend. ~Meghan Dirsken

To Kristopher at Glenmore Park: I was chatting with one of my 2W patients and she gave me some lovely feedback about our health care aide Kristopher. She has never commented on our staff before to me, but she made a point of telling me about Kristopher’s excellent care. He is always very prompt and checks in on his patients frequently, he is exceptionally helpful and thorough with patient care and follows up in a timely manner. Most importantly, she described how friendly, kind, and funny he is. His wonderful bedside manner and lovely personality has made a big difference to this patient, and she was very appreciative. While I will make a point of passing this along to Kristopher personally, however I also wanted everyone to know about the exceptional work he is doing and the positive impact it is having on our patients. This is not the first time I have heard positive feedback about Kristopher’s excellent work and lovely manner with patients, he is truly going above and beyond in his role.~Kimberly Kavanagh

To Oksana: This is to recognize and thank Oksana who helped my sister and I over the past eight months. Oksana was consulted by one of the nursing staff who was concerned about my sister’s lack of appetite and indicating that she did not want to live this way anymore. My sister was asking for MAID. Oksana’s first intervention included talking to me at length about my sister, and that intervention alone, made all the difference to me! Oksana then met with my sister and listened to her with such presence and kindness. This made all the difference to my sister as she felt heard! Oksana identified at this time that my sister was having significant pain upon movement in her osteoarthritic hip, and in consultation with the doctor, regular pain medication was given and monitored on an ongoing basis. This made such a difference to D’s quality of life as well as having been heard. Oksana would drop in and visit my sister when she could and my sister would tell me that “special person” had been there to see her. During my sister’s final week when she had lapsed into an unconscious state, Oksana visited us both as was spending most of my time there. She spoke to my sister to tell her that it had been a privilege knowing her and thanking her for the work she had done in her life in lobbying for good health care for all. Oksana assisted me in turning my sister and did so with such tenderness and love. After my sister died, Oksana called me to see how the family and I were doing. I learned then that there are only 2 palliative consultants for all the Carewest facilities. The importance of this role for families and residents in long term care cannot be emphasized enough. I am ever grateful for you, Oksana. Heartfelt thanks from D’s family.

~ June Kirk

To Mandeep at Colonel Belcher: I want to thank Mandeep, in Dover. My mom is on a pureed diet with a few exceptions, which are her favorites. Mandeep went out of her way to make my mom one of her exceptions to break up the monotony of her meals. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness!

~ Terri Breithaupt

To Anastazia at Glenmore Park: Anastazia was our nurse on 2 East. She mentioned she works casual and this was her first time caring for my mom. Despite this, she was so helpful, knowledgeable, and kind. She was thoughtful in proposing solutions for her pain management and we really appreciate her help! Thank you!

~ Bashir Poonja

I want to thank you for believing in me
I want to thank you for caring for me
I want to thank you for doing all this hard work
I want to thank you for taking three shots of COVID-19 vaccination
I want to thank you for keeping safe as we are going through this COVID-19 pandemic
I want to thank you for working on my days off
I want to thank you for never quitting
I want to thank you for choosing to be a nurse~ Monsurat

To nurses on 4th floor at Garrison Green: BIG thank you goes out to RNs Mabel, Maria, Susan, Morgan & every nurse that works the evening & night shifts on 4th floor, Garrison Green! You all keep things running smoothly on the other shifts, not only keeping residents safe & happy, but also a pleasure to work with! THANK YOU for EVERYTHING you do!

~ Anonymous

To Karin and Marissa: I would like to celebrate our Team Leads Karen and Marissa. Both ladies work very hard and professionally to assist in managing our site in a kind and supportive manner. I appreciate the additional support provided during scheduled meetings (care conferences, medical rounds) which is offered without hesitation. Thank You.

~ From Linda

To 1 West staff at Dr. Vernon Fanning: We are not a team because we work together, we are a team because we respect, and care for each other. You all make a difference in not only the life of our residents but also in each other’s life. Keep up the good work, you are appreciated.

~ From Monsurat

To all the nurses at Royal Park: With thoughts of appreciation for all the smart, kind, caring nurses here at Royal Park. You are all very special!

~ From Helen

To Charanjeet at George Boyack: Thank you to Charanjeet for always making my day and lightening up my day every time.

~ Anonymous

Click here to read co-Acting COOs Lesley Myles and Jennifer Craddock’s letter to all Carewest staff.

To Georgia Schultz at Glenmore Park: Thanks for being a super interesting and dynamic human. You’re the best.

~From Bekka

You can leave a comment here by filling out the Shine Some Light submission form.

You can leave a comment here by filling out the Shine Some Light submission form.

Aurora is one of the most understanding, kind, fair, non-judgmental and soft spoken staff that doesn’t waste time on the little fires she puts out daily. Aurora is a wonderful CSM that makes coming to work that much more exciting. Just when one doesn’t think that she has time for a person, Aurora finds a way. Thank you for your hard work and effort. ~Anonymous

Just a thank you for all the hard work and effort that you do, Samara. Visiting sites and taking the time to chat with anyone and everyone that you meet. I have had the chance to meet with Samara a few times in my travels with Carewest and she surely made me feel like I was apart of the team!! Thanks again for recognizing the small things in life. ~Anonymous

Abigail at Glenmore Park: I just wanted to tell you about some truly excellent nursing that I genuinely believed saved a patient’s life on 2E. I was called early this afternoon by Abigail on 2E on regards to a patient with hypotension and tachycardia. This patient had been discussed with me by the attending physician, so while I’d planned to see them today, I haven’t made it upstairs yet. Abby noted the change in vitals and altered mental status of the patient and called me to ask for assessment earlier than planned. This patient was unstable, and I called 911. I remained on the unit to discuss the case with paramedics and ensure she was off to hospital. Throughout Abby continued to provide key pieces of information from history and the chart, as well as facilitate a smooth transfer to acute care. The patient was unstable in emerg, requiring a rapid blood transfusion and monitoring via Internal Medicine and ICU. If this patient was not assessed and transferred in an efficient manner, she very well may have died. This was a genuinely life-threatening situation, and it was the thorough assessment by Abby and excellent advocacy on behalf of her patient that saved this woman’s life. Abby effectively and urgently recognized a dangerous situation, called the physician, and advocated for her patient, as well as provided support and assistance during her transfer to acute care. She also provided a thoughtful and thorough update later this evening. The other nursing staff on the unit, Maria and Natalie were also incredibly helpful, thoughtful, and thorough in their assessments of the situation and their support of colleagues. It was Abigail’s actions, however which saved this patient’s life.~Kimberly Kavanagh

Belinda at Glenmore Park: I want to take a minute to highlight the exceptional care Belinda provided for a patient on 2W this week. First of all, Belinda recognized the urgency of the situation when a patient was having a seizure. After being unable to contact the on-call doc, she reached out to me. This is fantastic! She followed the process perfectly. Then, she synthesized an enormous amount of information from several different sources in the chart to give me a comprehensive history. She answered all of my questions well.  I reviewed the notes and Belinda’s note is AMAZING!!!!! Well done, Belinda! I can not highlight this enough!!! I want to say a BIG thank you to Belinda for helping the patient and HELPING me! ~Meghan  Dirksen, MD, CCFP

Charlotte Jordan, Patty Rhodes Brink and Shelley Rutledge: Special thanks to Charlotte Jordan, Patty Rhodes Brink and Shelley Rutledge, for creating an environment that makes being a volunteer a pleasure. You’re the best. ~ John Beal

To Nasrudin (Nas) Abdirahman : Our family would like to recognize Nasrudin (Nas) Abdirahman for her support and care she shows to our family member who is in long term care. We realize the workload and busy schedule the staff has and Nas finds the time to be kind and engage with our family member as she is attending to the work. Our family member has mentioned many times how nice Nas has been to her. Our family member looks forward to Nas and we feel this lifts the spirits and also makes the work easier for Nas with more cooperation. Thank you Nas for your care and dedication to a tough job. ~ Anonymous

To Rebecca Mansfield: I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to Rebecca Mansfield for all of her help over the last few weeks. She is always so willing to help and answer questions no matter how busy she is with her actual job. I consider myself so lucky to work in an office with such caring, hard-working individuals. Thank you, Rebecca, you have no idea how helpful you have been to me. ~ Michelle Douglas

To the staff at Glenmore Park: My mother in law Elizabeth Wolff has been at Carewest Glenmore Park for six weeks and will be discharged within the next week. She has been cared for by incredible people including the care attendants (Irene), nurses, physiotherapist (Meghan) and physio aides, occupational therapist (Allisa?) and physician (Dr. Cavenagh). I may have some names wrong, and there are many many other people who have been patient, caring, kind and supportive of her health, recovery, well-being and dignity. The team of health care workers at Glenmore is calm and has been most supportive and responsive to our questions. They speak directly to (not about) my mother-in-law including her in all conversations about her ongoing care and progress. Dr. Cavenagh is incredibly patient and authentically engages with those she is caring for. Thank you to everyone for making a challenging time a wonderful experience for Elizabeth and our family. ~ Kandi Mcelary

To Sandy: It’s been just over 3 years. Never getting rid of my purple pillows. Thank you. Your shoulders were huge and I needed them. Your kindness is snowballing through me now. I will never forget you. ❤️

~ Winter Reeb

To the nurses at Signal Pointe: Thanks to all the RNs and LPNs at Signal Pointe for their awesome teamwork, hardwork and compassion towards the residents. To our CSM, thank you for your optimism, support and guidance during all our difficult changes at the site…. People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel…- Maya Angelou. Happy Nursing week and thanks for all that we do, seen and unseen.

~ Anonymous

To nurses at Garrison Green: Dear Darlene , Victoria, Plazza, Faith and all other nurses on 4th floor…. Thank you for all that you do to help us be the best team we can be and for helping us and our residents’ staff save each and ever day … I know we have worked short many a days but with your support we get through each day… thank you for being you!!!

~ Anonymous

To Cathy at Rouleau Manor: I would like to acknowledge Cathy Renkas as a fantastic leader. She always takes the time to listen to our concerns and supports efforts to improve the quality of life for our staff, residents, families/guardians, and visitors. I enjoy our daily check-ins and opportunities to laugh together. Cathy’s support has made my work experience memorable…thank you Cathy.

~ From Linda

To Indy Sidhu at Rouleau Manor: I am so grateful for everything that you do during work hours and beyond to be ever mindful of your team mates well being, and the health and safety of all our clients. You give so much here at Rouleau and so many of us are truly impacted by your generosity and kindness.

~ From Cathy

To Rasika at the Colonel Belcher: Thank you Rasika, for taking such great care of the residents and for all of your hard work. You are such a valuable member of our team. I admire you and appreciate you for all that you do!

~ From Meagan

To Angilee at C3 Sarcee: Angilee thank you for all that you do. You are always willing to help out where needed; No questions asked. THANK YOU for being so dependable!!

~From Wendy

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