Caring for Others: Kingsway Aide Finds Fulfillment
Rebecca Lane was a radiation therapist for 13 years and worked directly with patients. Now, she is a consultant for software company, and works largely with nurses and physicians. However, in the new role, she missed caring for patients.
For the past year, Rebecca has been able to fill that void while working as a home health aide at Kingsway Retirement Living in Belle Plaine, Minnesota, where she helps residents perform activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, administering medication, and general caregiving tasks.
“I was looking for a position where you care for people with a more hands on approach,” she explained. “When you’re used to working with patients, you miss that.”
Rebecca has always known that she wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. Following her high school graduation, she enlisted in the United States Navy, and was interested in becoming a corpsman, an enlisted medical specialist.
That section was full and she became a Gunner’s Mate instead. The Gunner’s Mate is responsible for the operation and maintenance of all of the smaller firearms on the ship. Serving in the military was something that was very common in Rebecca’s family.
“My granddad was in the Marines, my older sister is in the Air Force, my younger sister is in the Army, and my uncle was in the Navy,” she explained.
Rebecca was stationed at San Diego Naval Station aboard the USS Rushmore LSD 47 for three years. On deployment, the ship traveled around the Western Pacific Region. Following her three years of active duty, Rebecca spent another five years on inactive duty. Being in the military has allowed Rebecca to learn several lessons that she can apply readily in other parts of her life.
“Right away, you learn that you’re not the most important person in the world, the importance of team work, how to take care of yourself both physically and mentally and accountability,” she explained.
The Lutheran Home Association is Where the Care of the Soul is the Soul of Care. We are looking for caring, compassionate, dedicated employees to join our team! Visit www.tlha.org/careers for more information!