A Mother’s Advice to Live By
Bob Speelman and Jaleesa Carmon
October 5, 2022
NOTE: This was taken from the blog of Foundations Health Solutions leader Bob Speelman. Bob works closely and frequently communicates with our Foundations Health facilities. It is so inspiring to see how each care team embodies the vision of our founder and nursing home developer, Brian Colleran, to be "A Culture of Care."
Jaleesa Carmon has been a Nursing Assistant for 14 years. She is 32 years old and has been at The Home at Taylor’s Pointe in Cincinnati for the past year.
Jaleesa is AMAZING! I had the honor of working alongside Jaleesa the other day, and I will not soon forget the experience. Jaleesa’s mom was a Nursing Assistant, and Jaleesa told her mom she was thinking about going to school to become a Nurse. Jaleesa’s mom, Juanita, told her to become a Nursing Assistant first to see if she liked it before going to Nursing School.
Jaleesa told me,
“Life happens, and I became pregnant, and soon after my daughter was born, my mom passed away from cancer.” Jaleesa said she didn’t really have time to grieve her mom’s passing because her younger sister was only 16, and she needed to be strong for her.
Jaleesa knew she loved being a Nursing Assistant when she helped her first rehabilitation resident. This resident came to them after a stroke and needed three people to assist him to move and transfer. Jaleesa smiled and said,
“he steadily improved through therapy, and after several weeks, he was discharged and walked out of the facility on his own. I was hooked from that moment on.”
After Jaleesa’s mother passed, Jaleesa told me that she became very close to her grandma. But four years ago, her grandma passed away. Jaleesa said her grandma was buried right next to her mother, and at the funeral, the emotions she had been holding inside finally burst out.
Jaleesa struggled with depression for some time but through journalling and coming to the realization that if she isn’t ok her-self, she can’t help others be ok. Jaleesa told me that working as a Nursing Assistant has made her appreciate what she has and how good she has it compared to others.
I asked Jaleesa if there was something her mom told her that stuck with her. Without hesitation, she smiled and said,
"YES! Two things that I try to live my life by. One, Jaleesa told me that she found,
"by living my life with this as a guide has been extremely helpful. I think about how I’m approaching people and my attitude. If my approach to them is respectful and helpful, then they listen to me, and I can get them to see my point of view."
Jaleesa went on to say that the other thing her mother always told her was to,
Everyone deserves respect regardless of title or position. What great advice and what words to live by! One of our Core Values at Foundations Health is,
“It’s never about the role, it’s always about the goal.” We all have different roles in the company, and none of them are more important than another. They are ALL vital to our success.
Jaleesa – Thank you for sharing your story with me today. You are an inspiration, and I left The Home at Taylors proud to have a new friend that challenges me to try and be better every day.
Bob Speelman, STNA