Smiles and songs greet nursing home administrator

Tammy LaBrake stood in the hallway of Resurrection Nursing Home in Castleton recently and remarked to some residents sitting together, "You look like you're ready to sing."

A moment later, she found herself joined by every member of the group in a rousing rendition of "Side by Side."

"I can't believe how much I smile during the day," Ms. LaBrake told The Evangelist as she ended her fifth week as the new administrator at Resurrection.

Key moment

A native of Rochester, she moved to the Albany Diocese in 1989 to get her master's degree in social work from The University at Albany. She worked for several years as a nursing-home inspector for the Department of Health but couldn't wait to work directly with the elderly.

"They're at a special place in their life, just as important as the birth of a child," she said of the residents. "It's a time to look back and evaluate your life; and many times, thankfully, they do come to the conclusion, `I've lived a good life.'"

Seniors can do more than that, she added, saying that many still give of themselves. She likes to show the elderly that they're still growing as people.

New path

Ms. LaBrake, who decided to grow as a person by becoming a nursing-home administrator, interned as assistant administrator at Teresian House in Albany to get her license.

"I chose the hard road," she said, explaining that it's possible to get an administrator's license by serving as an administrator-in-training, which involves much less responsibility.

Instead, the position she chose involved having several departments report to her, coordinating the home's quality-assurance program and overseeing corporate compliance. That led to her being hired at Resurrection, an 80-bed home that's tiny in comparison with the 300-bed Teresian House.

But when she met the leadership of Resurrection Health Care, Resurrection Nursing Home's parent corporation, Ms. LaBrake was impressed to hear them say they wanted an administrator who could handle a much larger home.

At home

Resurrection is already becoming home to the new administrator. "You can put your arms around it," she said of the small building.

Ms. LaBrake called herself a "real hands-on administrator" who spends as much time as possible walking the halls of the nursing home, introducing herself to residents, families and staff. She also keeps an eye out for any safety risks to residents, since risk management is her specialty.

The administrator has already met a host of interesting people at the home; she noted her admiration that one resident, Jessie, "has a smile on her face unless she's sleeping."

Soul side

One important part of heading a Catholic institution is promoting spiritual well-being, and Ms. LaBrake said that's equally important to her. Raised a Methodist and having leaned toward Baptist beliefs in her teens, she said it's crucial that residents don't feel spiritually deprived. To that end, she started a morning prayer group at Resurrection.

"This is my fifth week, and there were only two days I haven't had fun," Ms. LaBrake said. The staff, she added, are "great people, very dedicated and passionate."

(Contact Resurrection Nursing Home at 732-7617.)

(3/20/03) [[In-content Ad]]