Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
ST ALBANS – They are earthbound angels caring for the most vulnerable people alive.
They are the staff and nurses at Franklin County Rehab, and with the launch of their new Licensed Nursing Assistant five-week program, they hope to expand their staff with passionate, qualified individuals.
“They [the residents] are why we do it, it’s not an easy job for sure,” said administrator Kate Gladden. “In my years here, not a single day has been the same, because you’re dealing with people. You’re not working on machines, you’re caring for people.”
In small communities like St. Albans, many of the residents at FCR are also known, beloved community members. The residents might have once watched their now-caretakers learn to walk, knew their grandparents, or have other memories of them.
Now in the later years of their lives, residents find themselves in the loving hands of their community members, and because of places like FCR, spend their days laughing, making crafts and watching live, private performances.
That is, if they’re not performing themselves.
“There was one resident that I always relied on for musical events,” said enrichment specialist Tabitha Blackler. “If we had a cancellation, I could always pull him out of his room to perform for an hour, and he loved it.”
Like many care centers, FCR is feeling the pinch of the nursing shortage across the country.
The facility has six positions open for nursing and 15 open for LNAs, which is why it decided to launch its own LNA class six months ago. FCR pays for students to complete the five-week course, and the graduates are guaranteed employment at FCR.
So far, Gladden said the program has been a success and usually has five to ten students in every class.
Franklin County Rehab is a privately-owned, 64-bed skilled nursing facility sister to Villa Rehab, both of which are owned by Coleen Condon. The facility boasts 44 long-term care beds and 20 rehabilitative beds for short stays, such as post-surgery.
The center offers physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, respiratory therapy, restorative therapy and skilled nursing care such as intravenous application and wound care.
Shifts for nurses run from 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., 7:30a.m. to 3:30p.m. and overnight.
Activities for residents are held at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., and the residents get to watch live entertainers at least twice a month. There are Zumba classes every Friday, Catholic mass and non-denominational worships. There is even pet therapy, when staff bring in puppies to meet residents.
The crafts that the residents make are sold at the fall craft sale to benefit the resident council. Proceeds are occasionally donated to a cause. Most recently, $500 was sent to the new St. Albans City Pool at the Hard’Ack Recreation Area for admission fees for students who could not afford them, as well as a snack from the snack bar.
“We have a great group of residents,” Blackler said.
“I love each one of them,” Gladden said.
“The best part [of this job] is the residents,” Blackler said.
Whether you’re an LNA, a nurse or another staff member, every position is a key position at FCR. Gladden said each of the staff are required to receive their LNA in the case that there is an emergency and someone needs more medical intervention. But when it comes to activities, everyone bands together to make sure a good time is had by all, nursing degree or not, and laughter is heard often in the hallways.
“The residents are hysterical,” Blackler said.
The residents share everything with their caregivers, including stories of events from long before the LNAs were born. The LNAs do everything from changing bed pans to helping residents get out of bed in the morning to helping with lunch time. The relationship between them and the residents quickly becomes akin to family, and often the staff go above and beyond for them in the way they would for their own relatives.
“Sometimes there are residents whose families don’t play a large role in their lives,” Blackler said. “So we take on that role for them.”
Because of the size of Franklin County communities, many of the residents and their families know their caregivers outside of FCR. They’re members of the same groups and churches and sometimes even the same neighborhoods.
“I lost my grandmother when I was in college, but one of the residents was best friends with her,” Gladden said. “She helped me get to know a lot more about my grandmother through her.”
Kate Barcellos is a staff reporter for the Saint Albans Messenger. Contact her at kbarcellos@orourkemediagroup.com
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Your comment has been submitted.
There was a problem reporting this.
Thank you for taking part in our commenting section. We want this platform to be a safe and inclusive community where you can freely share ideas and opinions. Comments that are racist, hateful, sexist or attack others won’t be allowed. Just keep it clean. Do these things or you could be banned: • Don’t name-call and attack other commenters. If you’d be in hot water for saying it in public, then don’t say it here. • Don’t spam us. • Don’t attack our journalists. Let’s make this a platform that is educational, enjoyable and insightful. Email questions to bhigdon@orourkemediagroup.com.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-Edition email. Signup today!
Get a selection of the Messenger's best reporting direct to your inbox each and every morning.
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!
St Albans Messenger is a twice-weekly newspaper established in 1861 covering Franklin County, Vermont. Samessenger.com publishes new content daily. Our beat reporters are on the ground covering local government, schools, sports, business and culture.