(Written for Adrianne Laurila)
Oct. 26, 2018
Life is a funny thing – sometimes you find yourself expecting one thing and end up coming out with another. When one door shuts, another one seems to open – for every con there’s a pro. As I work through my senior year at Michigan State, I’m an advertising management major with a minor in public relations. However, that wasn’t always the plan, far from it in fact, but I’m happy with how things have worked out. Originally, my career path was aimed towards something in the medical field, but after spending two years working in an assisted living home, I learned that wasn’t the right path for me.
My time at Victorian Pines Estates in my hometown of Iron Mountain, started two years before beginning college. At the time, I had my eyes set on a career in the health field, audiology to be specific. I found the science of hearing interesting and my sister is a speech therapist, so there was a lot of appeal. Victorian Pines was a few blocks from my house and I began working there when a friend of mine needed someone to work the shift opposite of him. It was a chance to gain some experience in an area and field I had interest in, so I jumped at the opportunity, but I had no idea what was in store for me.
It wasn’t a great experience. Even on my first day, I was on the receiving end of some mean comments from the residents living there. Not an ideal start for me. I ended up working there for two years. My tasks included meal prep, cleaning and keeping the residents entertained. Additional assistance was given to the people living there with special situations.
Now, this doesn’t mean everyone wasn’t friendly, as some gave me with presents for Christmas or high school graduation. I was able to develop close, personal relationships with the elderly residents, given how often I’d talk with them.
However, it didn’t help that the workers there seemed more interested in their paychecks – although not substantial – than they were the residents they were there to serve. It’s unfortunate because these were some of the only people the residents had, since not all of the people living there had visitors. To double down on this, the retirement home was largely family-operated by different parent-son or parent-daughter combinations. So, if you had a complaint about one worker, it was likely that the higher-up you would address that to was their parent. When difficult situations would arise involving conflicts between those families, you would just have to go with it, making for an awkward work environment for a few days. I’ve heard of other bad situations in assisted-living homes elsewhere, not making them very appealing to work in as a profession.
I certainly wouldn’t send any of my family members to such a kind of house given my experiences, even though my grandmother has been requesting to live in this one since the building is beautiful. If I were to consider letting her move into one, I’d have to really evaluate the people who work at the home, so I can assure they’re actually qualified and attentive, since they play a key role in the wellbeing of the people living there.
If I could’ve changed one thing at Victorian Pines, it would be that the employees working there would’ve been replaced with individuals who truly cared for the seniors there.
I soon realized that the health field wasn’t going to be for me, and I had to find something new to pursue while at college. Had the experiences at Victorian Pines not occurred, I don’t think I would’ve gone that route, since science isn’t one of my strong suits and I don’t have the patience for the anything in the medical field. This is unfortunate because I think it’d be fun to go into business with my sister who’s in a similar occupation.
At the end of the day, I still find my choice a better option than the medical field, even if I’m still uncertain where my degree from Michigan State may take me. My experiences at Victorian Pines, although not all negative, opened me up to the realization that the health field wasn’t going to be right for me. I came in there looking for medical experience and was left in shock with how those homes were actually run.
Life will take some twists and turns, and you just have to work with the hand you’re dealt, since sometimes it’s for the better – in this case it definitely was.
