“A gentile, quiet spirit” are the only words I can think when I think about Latarsha Nathan. If you saw Latarsha in a crowd you would not notice anything different about her. On the other hand, let her be your personal care giver for five minutes and you will see a her gentile spirit. Immediately you will be surrounded with love, compassion and security.
Two weeks ago one of our residents, suffered some chest pains and shortness of breath. She was anxious and scared that something really bad was going to happen to her. Latarsha stayed with her while our nurse called 911 for transport. What transpired in that room was a wonderful example of caring and compassion. While the resident was lying in bed awaiting transport, she said to Latarsha, “I’m so scared. Would you please just hold me?” Without any reservation, Latarsha climbed into her bed, laid down, put her arms around her and laid quietly beside her until the ambulance came. Imagine the impact of that scene when the paramedics arrived.
On another occasion, one of our residents was eating dinner when suddenly her head fell on her chest. Latarsha immediately saw her and said in a calm voice. “Mrs. Breedlove, I think something is wrong.” I went to the table, checked her and there was no evidence of pulse or breathing. In order to not cause chaos in the dining area, Latarsha and I scooted the lady (chair and all) to the hallway adjacent to the dining area. We lowered her to the floor and immediately began CPR. Someone called 911 and we continued CPR until EMS arrived. During the entire event, Latarsha remained calm, executed her job professionally and brought a sense of peace in the midst of trauma.
Not only does she touch the lives of our residents but, also, the lives of their families. Sometimes it is the little things in life that become the largest contributors to stress. A family wanted their mother to have a larger bed. They purchased it and brought it in. They thought it was going to be a simple task to remove the old bed and set up the new one. What they didn’t realize was that the old bed had a bookcase headboard attached to it and would not fit through the door. Whoever assembled the bed had used “all of their muscles” to tighten every screw. Now they found themselves with no tools and no way to remove the old bed. Latarsha was on duty and saw how frustrated the family was. She looked everywhere and finally located a screwdriver, disassembled the bed and removed it to the hallway. The family was so appreciative and wrote a personal note thanking her for remaining calm and going beyond the call of duty.
The beautiful thing about Latarsha is that she has no reservations about meeting the needs of our residents and their families. She never brags or shares what she does. She doesn’t do it for recognition or a bonus, just out of love and compassion.