Jenelle Judson, Supervisor, Home Health Aide

I came to Heritage right out of high-school. I tried working at a couple of other places and didn't like it. The difference between Heritage and the other facilities I had experienced was night and day.

When I started, I noticed several things. There was already a "family feeling" at Heritage. There was a group of people who had worked here for a long time, and that was attractive to me. It said a lot about Heritage.

My first tour surprised me. I couldn't believe how much like "home" this facility felt compared to the others I'd worked for. In addition, I instantly understood that our supervisors love what they are doing and it shows. They are incredible teachers and good listeners and the staff respects them and adopts their vision for care of the residents. They trust us to make good decisions, and any concerns are thoughtfully reviewed until we come to positive resolutions. That's really important to me. You don't find this kind of teamwork in many places. In fact, some of the employees who had left, have come back. They realized that this environment is a rare thing.

There are many reasons that the employees come here to stay. There are also a lot of reasons that residents come to stay.

One of the key reasons is that we work on making a connection with each resident and they get to know us in return. Those connections are the lifeblood of our care. Because of this, we all become a family. The continuity is critical. I supervise in the evening, and occasionally of course, our staff takes vacations. One evening I came in and we had several individuals out on vacation. The residents immediately said, "Where's Mary? We want her back." This kind of response reinforces what we feel each day. We are important in their lives.

I have worked in a number of capacities here at Heritage, but I love to work with the memory loss folks most; those people are near and dear to my heart. I find humor in the situations; the people are so heart-warming even though they can be challenging. Some evenings I stop to do crossword puzzles with one of the residents. Yesterday for instance, was my day off, and I was driving by, so I stopped in just to say "Hi" to a few of the residents. It seems like a natural thing to do because they have become family. Sometimes I have a popcorn party with them in the evening, or sometimes I stop at the Cold Stone Creamery where they make fresh ice cream everyday and bring some to share. A few of the residents I work with love it, and can have it as part of their diet. I do these things without even thinking; it has become a way of life for me.

And, it makes a difference. One resident was in rehab for a month. Her daughters couldn't wait to return her to Heritage because of the specialized care she receives. I call her "Grandma". She is one of the "ice cream party" compatriots.

I started working at Heritage in 1992 and I live in Maple Grove, not a short distance from Edina. I'm in my car at least one hour a day, sometimes two if the weather is bad. I can see a new assisted living facility from my home and I pass plenty of places on my way here. Even though it would be more convenient for me, I wouldn't even think of leaving Heritage.

The only regret I have is that my own grandmother couldn't live here at Heritage. She was living quite a ways away from here when she passed away earlier this year. My uncle wanted her to be near him and I understand that. But she would have really loved Heritage.

Jenelle loves to travel, have dinner with friends and catch the latest movies. And you may just run into her sometime at Cold Stone Creamery getting ice cream for her family of "seniors".

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