I have 300 grandparents!!

After graduating from Grant MacEwan College with a diploma in Disability Studies:Leadership and Community, I began to work as an attendant in recreational therapy in a nursing home. I'd always thought it would be difficult to find a job after college, having had no clue which area of disability I wanted to specialize in, but after completing a 7-week practicum with seniors suffering from Alzheimers/dementia I knew it was the right place to be. I was hired before my practicum had even finished and was excited to learn and grow.

It's no secret that I'm an emotional person and everyone told me that emotions were bad when working in a nursing home, especially with seniors. I quickly learned that that was in fact not true. Emotions are good. Emotions are what make me good at my job. They motivate me to do more, work harder, be more caring, and show more love to those around me. Many of the residents have 'adopted' me as a grandchild, and I now have about 300 grandparents that I look forward to seeing when I walk into work.

A few weeks into my practicum I spent a coffee break with a resident, who shared how upset he was that someone stole a flower he'd bought for his girlfriend. I was surprised, and he took the expression on my face to mean I thought it odd that he, and old man in a wheelchair, should have a girlfriend. He leaned in close and said quietly,
"Everyone notices my big ears, my big nose, and my big mouth. But no one ever sees my big heart."
That has become the motto I live by in my job. As long as you continue to look for the good in others and see it shine through, no matter what the disability, your job will be continually rewarding.

:)