When the administrator moves on

Over the years I have seen many administrators come and go. The longest any has stayed has been about two years, so we residents can usually count on a new administrator about every 15 months.

Our current administrator’s last day was Friday, October 30. She moved on to another job in healthcare where she will work only weekdays. She knew all of us by name and many of our family members. She was very involved. During her year employed here we had last fall’s 47-hour power outage and last winter’s frozen water pipes above the kitchen. In other words, she had spent many extra hours here.

Like other administrators she did not live very close. In fact, none have lived in the community. It has to be difficult to live away when you are responsible and can be called at any hour of the day or night. It also means a commute and less time for yourself and your family. Being a facility administrator demands dedication because the facility is open seven days a week and 365 days a year.

So now the employees and the residents will have to get used to someone else in that administrator’s spot. It will probably be someone temporary for a while. Then, over time, we will get another administrator. Things will be done pretty much the same. But individual administrators are not the same.

We have experienced an administrator who was a ‘people person’ who had her own views of how residents should be treated. We could possibly disagree with her, but it was impossible not to like her. That is not always the case with administrators.

All of us will miss her and we can only hope that we will get another administrator who cares as much about us as she did.