Ruth Gardner

If you can't be home, it's the next best place to be.

Ruth Gardner moved from Phelps to the nursing home in 2014. She says she's "too soon old and too late smart" but it's not too late for her to enjoy life at the nursing home. Ruth enjoys the opportunities she has to go for walks with staff and sit outside. She likes the small group activities that are held in the afternoons. Ruth's daughter, Kathy, describes her mom as being "happier" at the nursing home than she was in her previous living arrangement. Kathy is most impressed by the nursing home's meals, size of the rooms, and incontinence care. Both enjoy the patio areas when Kathy visits. Ruth states she is very "comfortable" at WCNH.

Patrice (Patty) Bullock

there is never a dull moment for me!

Patty has grown into her current role at the Wayne County Nursing Home. Patty enjoys working here and says “there is never a dull moment for me!”
Since September 1992 Patty has held many roles. She started out as a food service helper in the Kitchen. She learned to be flexible to many different job duties and made the decision that she really wanted to become a nurse. She wanted “to help people get better and have a better quality of life.”
Patty worked full time in the Kitchen here while attending the BOCES nursing program evenings. In 1999, Patty graduated and passed her boards to become a Licensed Practical Nurse. She really enjoys working on the Rehab unit as “the needs are more acute and challenging and I like to be open to and learn new things.” She likes the “fast pace and the satisfaction of assisting the patients to ‘get better’ and back to their own homes.”
As a nurse, Patty has had many different duties. At one time she oversaw all of skin and wound care issues on the Rehab unit. She has covered the charge nurse role, overseeing the care of all residents and managing staff. As a med nurse she has been in charge of monitoring patient’s vital signs, administering medications, performing dressing changes and treatments as required, and assisting with coordinating the patient’s care with Physicians and Nurse practitioners, telehealth appointments, and therapies.
Recently, Patty has transitioned into the role of Care Coordinator and Discharge planner for the Rehab unit. This role includes coordinating the care each person receives. Patty oversees care planning and goal setting meetings, prepares people for discharge, makes referral to coordinate homecare services. She has become familiar with all the insurance companies through regularly sending them the documentation and updates on the person’s progress and condition. Often Patty covers for the Admissions Coordinator welcoming new people which means she is a key part of their care from start to finish.
Patty’s supervisors are impressed with her energy and desire to learn new aspects of our business. We encourage all of our employees to explore and grow into a niche. Patty has taken every opportunity that has been presented to her and increased her value to our organization. We look forward to seeing what Patty does next….

Chris Thoms

I like all the people here.

Lyons —Vrooom.Vrooom.Vrooom. There he goes. He’s making his daily stops and talking to the office workers, bank workers, janitors, nurses and anyone else you can think of at Wayne County Nursing Home and Rehab.
That’s our friend Chris Thoms riding his motorized wheelchair around the nursing home and visiting everyone. When you go to his room, chances are that you won’t find him there. He is either talking to someone or, if it’s a nice day, he will be outside enjoying the beautiful weather.
Now, if you’re from Lyons, this isn’t news to you. “I lived in Lyons all my life,” said Thoms. He’s been to the big cities such as Las Vegas and Boston, but they have not compared to life in Wayne County for Chris. He loves the area and is glad that he can stay in it. This is great for Chris, because he hasn’t changed much since he moved into the nursing home.
Before Chris came to WCNH, he lived a busy life. He had a great job where they made various items out of glass; one item, in particular, was for the People’s Choice Awards. These awards, which Chris helped make, were given to many celebrities over the years such as Tim Allen, Whoopi Goldberg, Bill Cosby, and others.
When Chris wasn’t working, he was living life similar to how he is at WCNH. Chris played golf for 20 years and owned a golf cart that he would ride around Lyons visiting all the people he knew in town. “I talked all the time to people,” said Chris.
Unfortunately, Chris’s disease started to get the best of him, and he was no longer able to take care of himself without help. That’s when he was brought to WCNH, and he loved it right from the start. “The tour. I liked it,” said Chris Thoms while recalling his first impression of the nursing home. The other big factor that sold Chris was the proximity to his home and the ability to have his family visit him as often as possible.
Since he became a resident at WCNH, Chris hasn’t slowed down once. He still does everything he did before joining our family at WCNH like being outside. If you don’t find Chris inside chatting, then head outside to the beautiful landscaping. He likes spending much of his time in the sunlight.
“I like all the people here,” said Chris Thoms. He loves the environment and has built great relationships with staff, and he’s always looking for someone new to talk with for a while even if it’s only for a few seconds.

Michelle

She enjoys making connections and building relationships with them

Before graduating from Red Creek High School in 1998, Michelle had lived all over the world as a military brat. She began working at the Wayne County Nursing Home in September of 1999, shortly after graduating from Wayne Finger Lakes BOCES as a licensed practical nurse. Michelle started working the 3PM-11PM shifts in various units. After five years of this, she switched to the day shifts on the second floor, shortly before the move to the new building occurred.
Since the move to the new building, Michelle has greatly expanded her duties. In November of 2011, Michelle started managing the Life Enrichment Group. She reorganized the room to accommodate residents more efficiently and initiated records to track attendance and activities. She has also been responsible for organizing and completing activities such as ‘”milk jug critters,” and the Christmas party where all residents, family, and staff were invited to make an ornament to put on the tree. Michelle currently manages the “man cave” along with her other duties at the nursing home.
In 2012 Michelle began her journey to become a registered nurse at the Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing. She graduated from the College of Nursing in May 2013 with an Associates degree in Applied Science. In June 2013, Michelle completed her State boards…. and passed! Now that she’s an RN, her career plan at the Wayne County Nursing Home is to “continue to manage the Life Enrichment Group and ‘Man Cave,’ as well as work with skin care and restorative nursing.”
Michelle’s favorite part about working at the nursing home is “the interaction with the residents.” She enjoys making connections and building relationships with them. This is important so they can trust her and interact without feeling uncomfortable. She also likes to learn about them and their past. Michelle stated, “that relationship helps myself, as well as others, care for the resident in a more meaningful and caring way. It also helps the family trust in the care that the facility provides.”

Joan

The care here is great

Joan was born in Lyons, NY in 1936. She grew up on a farm in Lyons and helped take care of the many animals they had as well as helping with other work on the farm. Joan said “living and working on a farm are two very different things. There are people who just live on a farm. I lived and worked. It was very hard work.” One of her least favorite chores growing up was “cleaning the pigpen.” Joan loved her horses. She had many pets, but horses were by far her favorite and she enjoyed riding them.
Joan graduated from Lyons Central School in 1958. After graduating from high school she began her career as a telephone operator and enjoyed her work. She originally had wanted to be a lawyer but could not afford the schooling she needed.
For the past seven years Joan has resided at the Wayne County Nursing Home. She has had a passion for gardening since she was a little girl growing up in Lyons, and for the last four years Joan has been gardening inside of the nursing home. She uses the plant cart in the living room near her room. This cart was purchased by the Foundation for the residents to use. The cart is enjoyed by many others that live here as well as the staff that works in the nursing home.
Joan is very active within the nursing home. She loves the plant cart and tending to it, as well as raising her own plants from seeds. She separates and repots these plants so they can be sold to raise money for activities here at the Nursing Home. She also enjoys going to ceramics and book club. She says “I like all of the activities and wish I could go to more, but I can’t because I am busy going to so many already.”
Joan stated that “the care here is great, better than anywhere else I have been, and everyone works together to help make this place the best it can be.”

Roland

They make him feel at home

Roland was born in the town of Rose, New York, on May 2, 1921. He lived in a “big house on a hundred acre farm.” He attended a little country school for the beginning of his school years. For high school, Roland attended North Rose High and graduated in 1942.
After school, Roland went into farming on the farm in Rose, New York. He farmed for 63 years before he sold the farm and moved to Clyde, New York. He lived in Clyde until he came to the nursing home four years ago.
Roland is a big domino player. He enjoys playing dominos with other residents in the private dining room on the Lakeview Side of the Nursing Home. If you can’t find him in his room chances are he is out playing dominos. He will play dominos with anyone who would like to play and tries to rope in anyone he can find to play with him. Dominos are his favorite game but he also enjoys cards and “anything else he can get his nose into.”
Roland enjoys the nurses that take care of him. He has become comfortable with them as “they have been the same nurses for a while and he is used to them being there.” They make him feel at home.

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