LONG-TERM CARE
PAMELA BIBEAULT , RNC , BSN , MS , NHA , CLNC , CPHQ , CHC , DNS-CT
President of Triad Health Care LLC , Long-Term Care Consultant
Tell us about your specialty and why you chose it .
My grandmother was the cutest and sweetest elderly lady I have ever known . My love for her had everything to do with my innate love and respect for the elderly . I always knew that helping older people and working in nursing homes was my career path . In my high school yearbook , I said one of my life ’ s ambitions was to “ teach old people how to walk on their hands ” ( I was a gymnast in those days ). My first job when in high school was as a nursing assistant in a small nursing home in Warwick . Knowing I needed to get some hospital clinical experience , I worked in hospitals after graduating from Rhode Island College , but there was never any doubt that long-term care was going to be my preferred area of expertise .
What is unique about your job ? I ’ ve had the pleasure of working with local nursing homes for the past twenty-one years . I am a consultant that not only gets to know the staff , I also know many of the residents in each facility and have a fond relationship with so many of them . These relationships make my job that much more enjoyable and fulfilling . Administrators have told me they work harder because they know how happy it makes me when they achieve positive outcomes and good survey results . They know how much I care about them as people and as caregivers in this field .
What are the most challenging yet rewarding aspects of your job ?
My primary function is to help facilities achieve optimal outcomes for their residents and overall facility operation . It ’ s a business of people taking care of people — the most fragile of our population — and it ’ s my pleasure to help them be the best they can be . The nursing home industry is highly regulated , making it challenging for teams to consistently perform at a high level . I am constantly reviewing and revising policies to ensure optimal resident outcomes and staff competence . The challenges of this work are many , and it ’ s ever-changing . The pandemic shattered the nursing home world , and we are forever changed as an industry and as health care workers because of it . We learned a lot , not just about COVID and infection control , but about resilience , teamwork and commitment to our elders and to one another .
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l SEPTEMBER 2024 73