“It’s not hard to work in a nursing home. I have been doing this for 25 years and I love it. Growing up, I saw a lot of sick people and tried to find ways to help people who couldn’t help themselves. I took care of my mama and sister when they got sick. It’s for the glory of the Lord. He gives me strength every day to come here. It is hard with dementia residents and you have to have patience because it’s not them, it’s what they are going through. There are a lot of things they used to do and now they can’t to them. I tell them they have raised their children and taken care of everything and now it is time for someone to take care of them. They deserve that. They want to do things on their own and it is hard when a strange person has to do it for them. Every day I pray for strength to help. I take 30 minutes to go outside on my lunch break. It gives me peace and when I come back in, it is all brand new.”

“I am a single mom and tell my children that I work hard to take care of them, when I get old I want them to take care of me. It is hard to be a single mom. I do everything and I am so tired. My oldest is in college and she’s going to be a pharmacist. My other daughter is going to be a teacher. The youngest is a 15-year old boy and It is hard to be mom and dad and get through to him, and I don’t know if I do. I am 44 years-old and I am not ready to be a grandma. We have a rare type of genetic cancer in my family. I lost my mother, 3 sisters and 2 brothers to it. I am going back for scans in April. I take it one day at a time.”