Shirley Owens- Carolina Village

Partial Transcript: Shirley Owens introduces herself. She is a CNA and has been at Carolina Village for 33 years. She has 3 grown kids. She has been in Hendersonville all her life.

Keywords: Hendersonville; CNA

Subjects: Shirley's career

Partial Transcript: Shirley talks about her family and the fact that she has been in Hendersonville, NC all her life.

Subjects: Growing up

Partial Transcript: Shirley talks about coming to work at Carolina Village. After taking a training class she was offered a job as a CNA, back then it was called geriatric specialist. This was not the first job she had worked at Pardee Hospital and Lakewood Manor. This is the best place she has worked. Carolina Village is just like family, you see everyone grow up, just like family. She enjoys the work and the patients. She has taken care of 2 generations, first the parents and now the children.

Keywords: 2 generations; CNA; Pardee hospital and Lakewood Manor; Carolina Village

Subjects: Shriley's carrer path

Partial Transcript: Shirley explains what makes Carolina Village so special, the care. The care the staff gives to the residents but also the care the residents give to the staff. At Christmas the residents give the staff a bonus, it is a blessing. The caring for each other makes it so special.

Keywords: bonus; The care

Subjects: What makes Carolina Village so special

Partial Transcript: Shirley explains why it is important for people to know about Carolina Village. It is caring for the people; Shirley loves caring for people and always has, even as a child.

Keywords: caring

Subjects: What people should know about Carolina Village

Partial Transcript: Shirley talks about her daily tasks at Carolina Village. She now works night. When she worked days it was getting them up, and ready for the day. At night it is making sure they rest properly. It is sometimes a challenge to keep people in bed. She is there to listen to people and talk to them. They know someone cares.

Keywords: rest properly

Subjects: Tasks

Partial Transcript: Shirley discusses what she gets back from the residents each day as she cares for them. When she is helping someone to do something they cannot do themselves they tell her how much they appreciate it and she knows it comes from the heart. It’s worth it. It makes her feel good.

Keywords: from the heart; appreciate

Subjects: What Shirley gets in return

Partial Transcript: Shirley talks about what she would like the larger community to know about Carolina Village. It is the caring, she loves what she does. When she first came to Carolina Village everyone cared, it was like one big happy family.

Keywords: Larger community

Subjects: What we should know about Carolina Village

Partial Transcript: Shirley relates an interesting story about Jo, a sweet lady. Jo told Shirley one morning that she dreamt she was dying. Shirley was also in the dream. Shirley thought it was a good story because Jo felt they would die together.

Keywords: dreamt she was dying

Subjects: A dream

Partial Transcript: Shirley talks about what has her coming back every day for 33 years. She says it is the patients. She falls in love with them, they become her family.

Keywords: Patients

Subjects: Coming back for 33 years

Partial Transcript: Shirley talks about the residents who stand out in her mind over the years. There was Jo and Ms. Randall who was a teacher. She was special; Shirley drove her to her 105 birthday party at the Cedars. Ms. Randall would say something special to Shirley every day even she was in her final days. Ms. Mary McMurray was special. They had a special routine every day. Shirley would save her for last. She would go in her room and sit down and watch Price is Right while Ms. Mary got dressed. That was their special routine. Shirley mentions Mr. Pace who she enjoyed talking to about different things.

Keywords: Cedars; Mr. Pace; Ms. Mary; Price is Right; Ms. Randall

Subjects: Special people

Partial Transcript: Shirley explains what she thinks is the reason the residents of Carolina Village live so long. Shirley feels it is the care and the love they get. It is the caring hands touching them that make the difference.

Keywords: caring hands touching

Subjects: Living to be over 100

Partial Transcript: Shirley explains what makes her job special and what she would tell the next generation about it. She would want them to care for and comfort the people in their care and have it come from the heart. If you do not have it in your heart to care for the residents go somewhere else and do something else.

Keywords: come from the heart; comfort people

Subjects: A special job

Partial Transcript: Shirley wants to be remembered as a quiet person. She was someone who was kind.

Keywords: kind; Quiet person

Subjects: Be remembered as

Partial Transcript: Shirley talks about being a CNA and how caring for people needs to come from the heart. That is the most important thing to remember. You want someone to come in and take care of you and care about you.

Keywords: Caring comes from the heart

Subjects: Caring