09/18/2024
I feel like it's important that I introduce myself and offer a little bit of my own caregiving experience. By doing so, I hope it will give you an opportunity to understand how Minnie's Angels came to be.
When I was in my early teen years, my mother put herself through nursing school while working full time as a nurse's aide in a nursing home. As much as we clashed in the ever popular "mother/daughter" aspect of our relationship, she taught me everything she knew about how to be a caregiver and 40 years later, I still say she was the best nurse I ever worked with! I got my first job in a nursing home when I was 15 years old in the laundry room. When I turned 16 (1984) I was able to be a nurse's aide and in July of 1984 I walked off the elevator onto the 2nd floor of a nursing home. I was wearing the required uniform (white nursing shoes, white nylons, and a white nurse's uniform) and I was ready to save the world one little old lady at a time. I received zero training, but I was determined to be awesome, just like my mom. I was told to "put them all to bed" as the charge nurse led me down a hall lined with 25 residents, all sitting in wheelchairs, all wearing restraints of some kind, all requiring extensive care. That first 3-11 shift as a nurse's aide was almost my last, but I held my ground despite the lack of training, the short staffing, and the healthcare politics.
My oldest son was also the first grandchild, and when he first learned to talk, he couldn't say Grammy, so he nicknamed his grandmother (my mom) Minnie. When she died in 2016, Minnie was providing skilled nursing care to individuals in their own homes. People across the country called her Minnie, and it only seems right that my homecare company be named after her!
Since 1984 I have become certified as a Phlebotomy/EKG Technician , Medication Technician, Medical Assistant, Restorative Aide, CNA, PCA, HHA and most recently I received my BS in Health Service Administration (Magna Cum Laude). I have been accepted into the HSA Master's program at Boston College/Woods College of Advancing Studies Accelerated program and hope to graduate with my Master’s in Health Service Administration in the spring of 2026.
I've consistently worked in long term care facilities for 40 years and have worked with private clients in their homes for 20 years. In my own personal life, I took care of my husband, my mother, and my mother-in-law in an "independent living" capacity as well as in a hospice capacity. I am the legal guardian to 3 of my grandsons, all of them with special needs (ADHD, ASD, Colonic neuropathy w/ a cecostomy) and PCA services. For me, this is not only a career, but also a personal journey. I know firsthand what it feels like to watch a loved one's health decline. I know firsthand what it’s like to feel helpless as a family member loses their ability to remember how to take care of themselves. And I know what it feels like to be forced to make decisions that directly impact the quality of life of a loved one.
Minnie's Angels Home Care will be the legacy I leave my children and grandchildren. As the frail, elderly and disabled members of my community become more "independent", it is important that they have access to caregivers that make their quality of life a number one priority. At Minnie's Angels Home Care, quality of life = quality of care.
Send a message to learn more
