COLUMBUS — Plain City native Stephanie Blake has six years under her belt as a licensed practical nurse.
These days, she’s serving patients in the assisted living and memory care wings of Dublin Retirement Village.
Although this facility didn’t experience a major outbreak like many across the country, Blake said there have been some emotional days especially relating to memory care patients.
“The Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, they really depend on a routine and seeing familiar faces, which is really hard right now with the masks and when we were gowned and shielded, they had no idea who we were,” Blake said.
Blake is among 4 million nurses across the country being honored during National Nurses Week, which concludes May 12, on Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Nightingale is widely considered the foundational philosopher of modern nursing.
“It takes one of a kind to do it, even without a pandemic. And this isn’t something that we were trained for. You know it’s just something we know that we need to do, and we do it with heart,” Blake said.
And Blake’s patients like 90-year-old Calvin Chun echo that sentiment.
“We thank God that we have nurses that have answered the call for this pandemic with all their self-sacrificing and help,” said Chun, a resident at Dublin Retirement Village.
Although the last 14 months have been an emotional roller coaster, Blake said there is light at the end of the tunnel. And for her, seeing families reunite with loved ones has made her job a gratifying experience.
“Seeing the residents now since we’ve kinda opened up and they can visit their families now, emotionally they’re all happy. So it’s made a big difference,” Blake said.
