'We love the residents here, we become their family'

Riverside Rest Home resident Debbie Canada of Dover, who formerly volunteered at the rest home, chats with Nursing Services Coordinator Tricia Sprague. (Rochester Voice photos)

DOVER - When Tricia Sprague of New Durham first entertained thoughts of becoming a nurse she flirted with the idea of going to nursing school, but later decided to learn on the job at Riverside Rest Home.
Twenty years later she says it was the right decision, the perfect choice.
"Geriatrics is what I love," she said last week while sitting in the rest home's lunchroom chatting with residents. "We build relationships, even in the psychiatric ward, the memory ward. You get in front of them, you touch them, you look them in the eye and they respond."
Now a license practical nurse, Sprague serves as the rest home's nursing services coordinator, but that doesn't keep her from interacting often with the residents she cares for so much.

Maria Ayer, director of volunteers at Riverside Rest Home, holds a miniature goat that gets a good cuddle from one of the rest home's resident on April 23.

"We love love the residents here, we become their family," Sprague said. "Many staffers volunteer to take resident out to eat or shop, because many of them have no family; so many have no one. The staff here go out of their way, these people deserve dignity and respect."
Debbie Canada of Dover, who for many years volunteered at the rest home before taking up residence their in 2021, has a special relationship with Sprague.
"She makes pictures for staffers and friends and signs them," Sprague said as she smiled warmly at Canada.
"The staff here are fantastic," Canada said.
Canada and several other residents told The Rochester Voice they are well aware of the ongoing controversy that surrounds the replacement of the county rest home that was built in 1978.
The major concerns residents have is that four residents share a bathroom, and they have to share a room.
"We want our own bathroom and our own room," Canada declared, adding a moment later, "Don't get me wrong, I still love it here the way it is, but ..." her voice trailed off.
Maria Ayer, director of volunteers at Riverside, said the nursing home is constantly looking to fill jobs.
"There's a nursing shortage across the country," Ayer said. "We lost a lot of staff due to Covid, because they didn't want to wear a mask. There were staff that could not tolerate wearing masks, meaning the physical nature of the job or health reasons made it difficult to perform the job so they felt that they had no choice." Staffing is challenging, and it's not just nursing. It's across the board, from dietary, to therapists ... everything."
She said when looking for talent the most important asset job seekers need is compassion.
"Anyone in health care needs to have that," she added. "I'm so impressed at the level of loyalty of staff here at Riverside: it's our population they care about, it's about the residents. This is their last home."
For a story on some of the concerns Republicans in the county delegation have regarding a commissioners-backed nursing home plan click here.

National Skilled Nursing Care Week is celebrated from May 12-18.