“If I find one hole in a resident’s clothing, I won’t send them to the floor to wear,” said Denise Weaver, Gracedale’s Seamstress. Denise will either patch the hole with Gracedale’s industrial sewing machine, or simply replace the clothes with like-new clothing that has been donated.
Denise is meticulous about her work. I watch as she goes through every piece of a new resident’s clothing and stamps each with their name, with a garment labeling machine that use heat to apply a name label.
“New residents are only supposed to have about 12 items, but often I get more,” she says. “I can get garbage bags full of clothes, and it takes me an hour or more to label all of the clothing.”
Denise has been at Gracedale for 20 years, in every role from a Certified Nursing Assistant to housekeeping, and pulling racks in laundry. She says she stayed for so long, because she loves the family environment—with coworkers and residents who feel like part of her extended family.
Denise is friendly, saying hello to everyone, even those new agency nurses or residents on the floor who she might not know.
“More compassion toward coworkers goes a long way,” she says.
Some Gracedale residents have an even closer bond with Denise. That’s because Denise took part in the “sitter” program where she spends her time with residents who need to have someone with them at all times (one-to-one attention). Some of these friends may be more challenging than others.
“I call them the feisty ones,” she says. “I’d rather be with them. They have a special place in my heart... and a lot of times I think they know it!”
Denise was recently all smiles when Gracedale received a donation of accessible clothing from American Healthcare Apparrel. The clothing is designed with snaps, zippers, or Velcro to help residents maintain independence when dressing, or to help nurse aides provide more comfort when dressing.
She and Wendy Haggerty, Manager of the Laundry Department, had the honors of unboxing the clothing a few weeks ago. They noted that the specially designed items will help residents feel more comfortable throughout the cooler months and even into the Spring.