I grew up in Argyle, New York, on my family farm, and that’s where I still live. But now I have two homes—and two families: one down on the farm and the other up at Washington Center. 

I’ve been working as a housekeeper at the facility for over three decades and I love it—especially talking to the residents and patients. They have such wonderful stories to tell about their lives and experiences. There are three facets to my job: Clean their laundry. Clean their rooms. And make them feel at home, cared for, and loved. I’m very happy to do all three.

The Covid-19 pandemic has only made us more vigilant and thorough than ever. The first thing I do when I come into the Center is get my temperature taken—we all know to turn around and go back home if we have even a hint of a fever—then I put on my mask. Protecting the health and wellbeing of the residents, patients and staff is always our first priority.

Now it’s time to go to work.

We disinfect the bathrooms, handrails, and all other common surfaces every two hours—no exceptions. Along the way, I’ll stop to help residents who want to FaceTime with family, prepare them for window visits, or simply chat with them. 

There is one way that Covid-19 has significantly altered my routine. Instead of coming into Washington Center 5 days a week, I come in 7 days. And that’s by choice. I’m going to make sure that this place stays super clean. Here’s my message to the coronavirus: together with everyone else here at the Center, I’m going to do everything I can to wipe you out!