A residential care facility isn’t about the rooms. It’s about the people who live there.
But for former administrator Peggy Strong, each room reminds her of those who have lived there. Strong recently retired as executive director for Greystone Residential Care in Iola and Arrowood Lane in Humboldt.
“I see a room and a specific resident sticks out, someone who lived there who I was particularly close to. Lots of memories,” she said.
“It’s hard to go through the building at Tara Gardens. I see the rooms and remember all the residents I took care of over the years.”
Strong started her administrative career at Tara Gardens in 1998. The facility was outdated, with cost-prohibitive maintenance needs.
The owners, Dimensions in Senior Living of Gretna, Neb., purchased a newer facility, then-Fountain Villa, and changed the name to Greystone in 2015. All of the residents from Tara Gardens were moved to Greystone or Arrowood.
“The owners of our two facilities are very dedicated to making sure employees are taken care of as well as the residents,” Strong said. “That’s one of the main reasons I was with the industry as long as I was.”
Strong said she believed in providing quality care that included “laughter, love and God.”
“If you can bring laughter to residents, bring them some joy, that’s the best thing in the world to keep them young, motivated, content and happy,” she said.
TINA KELLEY is the new administrator for the two facilities. Kelley started her career at Arrowood as a cook, and has served as director of health care since 2017.
Kelley obtained her certified nursing assistant certificate while at Arrowood, and also worked in marketing. She then graduated from nursing school in 2015.
Kelley left the company for a bit before returning as director of health care. She’s been training with Strong in anticipation of the director’s role for about a year.
“Peg and I are a lot alike. We have the same beliefs, and I’m going to continue in her footsteps to give good quality of care to our residents,” Kelley said.
Kelley took over on Jan. 1, but she feels comforted knowing Strong is just a phone call away if she needs to ask a question.
“I’ve got some pretty big shoes to fill. Probably what I will miss most about Peg is her positivity,” she said. “If things seem really difficult, I can call Peg and she will put me in perspective and help me take something positive away from it.”
She also gave credit to the staff for smoothing the transition.
