Labor of love: a nursing-home worker’s passion

As elderly residents inch along the hallways of their nursing home, 39-year-old Charell Lane slows down to ask if they need a hand.

From his wheelchair, one man looks up and mumbles incoherently up at Lane.

She takes the time to piece together the broken string of words and responds gently to the man who wanted her to get food from the Labor Day barbecue held outside.

Lane, a certified nursing assistant at Parklands Care Center, didn’t mind working on Labor Day, a day many workers have off.

In fact, she enjoyed it.

For the past two years, Lane has become a fixture in the lives of many residents, learning to make their coffee just the way they like it, memorizing how many sugars to put in and whether they take cream.

“It’s my passion,” she said. “I can’t stay away.”

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Lane’s colleagues at Parklands see the passion in her work.

Elliot J. Williams, the nursing home’s administrator, said Lane always makes sure everything is done and that the residents and their loved ones are taken care of before she leaves.

Lane’s daily routine consists of feeding, showering and keeping track of the health of the nursing home’s residents.

“She truly has the passion and the love for what she does,” Williams said. “She does go above and beyond.”

Stephanie Kelly, the director of admissions at the nursing home, described Lane as having a “beautiful heart.” She said she can tell which residents have been assigned to Lane by the way they smile afterward.

“She is always willing to lend a hand,” Kelly said.

Lane said she began volunteering at a nursing home when she was younger and discovered she loved listening to people as she sat at their bedsides.

They would tell stories about their lives, and she would listen intently.

But Lane’s strong bond with residents makes it harder for her to leave. About four or five months ago, a resident she cared for named Richard died of cancer.

“I went with him to his last chemo treatment; it was on a Wednesday,” she said. “I’ll never forget it was a Wednesday.”

The next day, Richard didn’t want to get out of bed for treatment. He stayed in bed for the next two days.

“The other day, he died — and I wasn’t even here,” she said, her eyes welling up with tears.

Lane said her profession often takes a toll on her, but her willingness to help people has yet to fade.

“I think I was born to do this,” she said.

Charell Lane, a certified nursing assistant, prepares lunch for residents of Parklands Care Center on Labor Day. She said she didn’t mind working on Monday, although many workers had the day off.