04/03/2026
Today, our Caring Places Management home office honored to highlight MistyBlu, Dietary Manager at Cascade Place!
MistyBlu shared the story behind why she chose to work in long-term care, and it’s one that stays with you:
“My mom was a single mother most of my childhood, so my grandparents helped raise my brother and me. My grandparents were my superheroes and helped me become the person I am today.
In 2011, a very obviously fantasy TV show came out. It took the entire show, until the very end—when dragons appeared—for my grandma to realize it was a fantasy show. My mom kind of brushed it off as ‘Mom being Mom,’ but my grandpa had been hiding her dementia for about five years.
Eventually, she ended up in the hospital where she was finally diagnosed, and we were able to see her closely for about nine months. After that, she moved between homes and hospitals for another five to seven years.
My grandfather unexpectedly passed away in October of 2022. He was my biggest role model and meant everything to my family. At that time, my grandma was in an adult family home in Roy. She had lost her ability to walk, was bedbound, and didn’t know who we were. I visited her every week so she wouldn’t be alone—so she knew her family loved her. She didn’t remember my name, just my nickname: Sissy.
One day, while my parents were on vacation, she was sent to the hospital. When I got there, she was confused and scared. I stayed with her for about an hour. Her ammonia levels were extremely high, which made her dementia worse.
Before I left, I told her I’d see her soon, and I asked her what my name was. She hadn’t said it in years. She looked at me like I was an idiot, curled her lip, and said, ‘Misty.’ I cried all the way to my car.
After that, every time I visited, she would say, ‘Ted is building me a new house, and I don’t know why.’ Ted was my grandpa. I had about six months left with her after that hospital stay. Each time I saw her, she said the house was closer to being done.
The last time I saw her conscious, she looked at me and told me the house was all done. She passed in March of 2024. I was by her side until the end.
I do this for her, and to learn more about the disease that will one day take my mom from me. I do this for my daughter, who may one day lose her mother to the same thing.
It’s a disease that takes memories. It changes everything.
But I also do it to brighten the lives of 36 residents and their families. I do it because someone did it for me and my family. I do it because Lorene and Ted raised me to help everyone I can. And one day, I hope I’m as lucky to receive the kind of care that we provide.”
MistyBlu, thank you for the heart, empathy, and purpose you bring to Cascade Place every day. The way you celebrate our residents, with your special meals and desserts, truly brightens up their lives and means so much to them and their families.💙
Congrats on being part of our 2025 Spotlight Crew! 🎉