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Clara Stitt loves a community approach to long term care at Comforcare

 

Generally, as a teen, the summer job is largely to provide money to go out with friends, buy the latest gadget or top off the car with gas.

But for some, the summer job results in a fulfilling career doing something they truly love. Such is the case for Clara Stitt, administrator for Good Samaritan Society – Comforcare here in Austin. At the age of 16 she started with a Good Samaritan nursing home in her hometown of International Falls.

She hasn’t looked back since.

“I kind of was deciding how am I going to continue working in long term care nursing,” Stitt said. “Is it the business side of things? What other positions are available? I was more naturally suited toward that business acumen.”

Stitt eventually attained a degree in healthcare administration and did her administrators training, an internship through Good Samaritan, in Howard Lake, Minnesota for six months.

Her husband works at Mayo Clinic in Rochester and the timing turned out to be right for her to come to Austin, where there was an open position.

“I always knew I wanted to do something good and give back to people and make a difference and not just be a number,” Stitt said. “Where I could know the residents and their families and working in a small nursing home allows me to do that.”

Those looking in from the outside sees an administrator that cares deeply for not only the residents but those who work for Comforcare.

Stitt said that a major draw for her in this role is getting to know both.

“I get to meet people and hear their stories,” she said. “Really, I think that’s what it is. Hear people’s stories. My personal philosophy, our job is to be there for people when they need it. Being there for the community.”

“That’s really what I’m passionate about,” she added.

Stitt said she sees her job as being a provider for both residents and staff. That residents have what they need to live a productive life within the facility and that staff have what they need to achieve that goal.

Stitt admits there can be a stigma to nursing homes, and she actively works to ensure that’s not the case at Comforcare.

“Knowing them deeply as a human being is important and that they know me too,” she said. “We’re truly, I feel, like a family. This is my family, my extended family, the staff and residents here.”

To meet that end requires a community focus at Comforcare. There are no units. Instead, there are neighborhoods and those living at Comforcare are often considered neighbors.

For Stitt, a highlight of her day is getting the office work done and then heading out to visit those neighborhoods. It’s in this role, she feels she can really dip into what she truly loves about her work.

“That’s my bread and butter. When I get to go and sit with the residents,” she said. “When I get to talk to them. That’s a big part of my job. Customer service and seeing how things are going on the floor and what’s needed. I can’t know what’s needed if I’m just sitting at a desk.”

“My roots are really in caring one-on-one with the residents,” she added.”

A major component of that kind of care is finding a place where the community outside is involved in what Comforcare is doing.

During the year, Comforcare will often organize events that will invite the community into the facility. Coming up on Oct. 31, it will host a Halloween party where children can come in with their family for some trick or treating with residents.

“These are community members who are here in our nursing home,” Stitt said. “For different reasons they can’t always go out in the community so I want to do whatever I can to bring the community here and get them involved and know what’s going on here at Comforcare.”

Another component is making sure there is a place for the residents to make their own choices in their life, which again lends itself to a community oriented approach. While there is always a transition period between leaving one’s home and joining a facility like Comforcare, it’s up to Stitt and the staff to smooth that transition out so that they are coming to a comfortable place for them.

“We try to come up with activities; different things,” Stitt said, pointing out the chickens roaming an outdoor common area as a recent addition. “But it’s also giving you the comforts of what you did in your younger years is what I think makes people more comfortable, too. Truly like your home as much as possible.”

Essentially, what this kind of environment has done for Stitt is provide her with a place she truly has come to love.

“I love my job,” Stitt said. “I don’t think a lot of people get to say they love their job. I love being able to have a direct impact on a lot of people and I get to live out my personal mission on this job. Helping people do what’s right.”

“This is my life’s work,” she added. “This is everything to me.”