Celebrating National Nurses Week at Chestnut Knoll Personal Care, Memory Care, and At Home Services

“Nurses are a crucial part of providing superior healthcare to our seniors at Chestnut Knoll and Chestnut Knoll At Home, and we are so thankful to all of them each and every day.

Shawn Barndt, executive director of Chestnut Knoll Personal Care, Memory Care and At Home Services, expressed these sentiments after holding a recognition luncheon for their nurses past, present and future, in honor of National Nurses Week, which will be running from May 6-12.

This luncheon was held at Greshville Inn and recognized current nurses at the community, nursing students, and residents who used to be nurses. They shared stories about being a nurse in different decades and how things have changed, but one thing that remained the same was the love and passion for their careers, and the respect they have for one another.

“I thank those who have retired from their careers in nursing, thank the present nurses for continuing in this amazing field, and thank the future nurses for choosing a career that will give you long hours, little sleep, heartache and immeasurable joy,” said Linda Detwiler, LPN, director of home care. “It will leave you with a smile and a tear, a question of why and then a statement of wow, but never do you wish you were anything but a nurse.”

Dorothy Bailey, former nurse and now resident at Chestnut Knoll, said she loved the luncheon, “It was great to see old nursing friends and reminisce about the past!”

Chestnut Knoll currently has three retired nurses who reside at the community; one home care client who was a nurse; and 16 nursing employees at Chestnut Knoll and Chestnut Knoll at Home, seven of whom are nursing students working toward finishing their degree, including student and home care aid, Melanie Dahlquist.

“My maternal grandmother wanted to be a nurse and started nursing school, but shortly after she had to quit school and she passed from cancer. I thought it would be neat to start a family tradition and get my RN not only for myself, but for her, too, since she never got the opportunity,” said Dahlquist.

Dahlquist is currently enrolled in Montgomery County Community College’s nursing program and will receive her RN license in December of this year. For the future, she will be obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from an online RN to BSN program from Western Governors University while working part time as a registered nurse and hopes to get her master’s in Nursing for either Women's Health Nurse Practitioner or a Nurse Educator.

“I am definitely interested in working with women’s health, labor and delivery, nursery, and postpartum patients. I hope to make a difference with developing a program that helps Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome newborns, which are drug-addicted babies. There are not enough programs in the field that help the newborns and the mothers who are addicts. I can not wait to be apart of the nursing career and hope to make a huge difference in the field,” said Dahlquist.

Over the years, Chestnut Knoll and Chestnut Knoll At Home have had many aspiring nurses at the community, many of them coming in as first-time caregivers and gaining knowledge in the field, which can help them later in life throughout their career.

“Being part of the Chestnut Knoll team is a great stepping-stone for those who have any interest in the medical field. People can start working with us as early as high school to test the waters and get some experience under their belt,” said Barndt.

Chestnut Knoll is always seeking kind, caring, dedicated people to join their growing team – a job at Chestnut Knoll Personal Care or At Home Services is perfect for anyone who may be thinking about a healthcare career. Chestnut Knoll is able to help individuals get a feel for the healthcare industry and also can be flexible and work around medical or nursing schooling while supporting and providing hands on training along the way, thus making the staff more advanced and prepared for a long time career in the healthcare world. Interested candidates should contact Chestnut Knoll or Chestnut Knoll At Home to discuss opportunities!

For more information, please call Chestnut Knoll at 610-473-8066 or Chestnut Knoll At Home at 610-473-3328.

Chestnut Knoll is an award-winning senior community, offering Personal Care and Memory Care residences at an affordable month-to-month lease with no buy-in fees. Services include 24-hour personal care assistance with medical support, meals, housekeeping, social events, transportation, and a state-of-the-art wellness program that provides ongoing therapy services, regardless of insurance coverage. Chestnut Knoll also offers At Home care services available to seniors where they live. Services include assistance with medication monitoring, personal care, companion care, light housekeeping and laundry, and transportation, to name a few. For more information on Chestnut Knoll Personal Care, Memory Care, or At Home Services, please call Jodie Daniels, assistant executive director, at 610-473-8066 or visit www.chestnutknoll.com.