By Deb Kroon
Staff Writer
Beginning February 1, 2018, Karen Rye assumed the role of administrator of the Adrian Country Living Cottages. Karen, a long time resident of Adrian, comes back from twenty-two years at Crossroads Care Center in Worthington, where she has been the Social Services Director for many years. She also has held the title of Activities Director, but has been in an advisory role for that position for a number of years.
When I sat down with Karen, she told me she had put in a resumé at the Cottages some time ago. She felt it wouldn’t hurt to have her name out there. So when Michelle Murphy put in her resignation, Mark Kellen, owner of the 106 Management Company (the company the City hired to manage the Country Living Cottages), called Karen and asked her to come in for an interview. She was one of several candidates for the position. She put in her resignation at Crossroads at the beginning of January and is now the new administrator at the Cottages. Karen said it was one of the hardest decisions she has ever had to make, in twenty-two years you form a lot of attachments. Great relationships with fellow staff members and most importantly to her, the relationship she had with the residents-her family made it a really emotional decision. “One of the biggest decisive factors,” Karen said, “was not having to make the drive to Worthington. The roads in the winter could be horrible. I won’t miss that at all. Now that I’m here, I am real excited to get started.” On her second day at the Cottages, she was busy setting up her office and planning a staff meeting that was to be held later in the day.
Karen graduated from college with a degree in Recreational Therapy. This is one area Karen would like to work on, along with the staff, to make this form of therapy a daily occurrence at the Cottage.
“When I walked through the doors,” she said, “I was so impressed with the staff here. For me, my top priority is the residents. Quality service — patient first, this is how I want to see the order of things here. I could see the same priorities in the staff. The dedication to the residents was evident by how they responded to them (the residents). I am excited to work with this staff and the families. Together we can achieve the best possible care for the residents who live here. With the staff involved in decisions, we should be able to expand on programs for the staff as well as for our residents. I want this to be a place where they want to work, to be a part of the team. I need their input. Working side by side, we should be able to implement my plans for the Cottage. For me the best reward of this job is a smile and a hug from the people who call this home.”
Karen also has another area of geriatric care that holds a special place in her heart. “If you can have a passion for a disease,” she said, “mine is Alzheimers. It is a horrible disease that effects many people. Watching someone you love become a person who lives trapped within themselves, who can’t remember and can’t express themselves, it can be very exhausting, especially for the caregivers. I lead a support group for caregivers of Alzheimers. We meet at Sanford Hospital in the Crailsheim Room at 2:00 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month. I do not plan on giving this up.” Talking to someone who loves doing things for others is such a great change, You can see it on Karen’s face when she talks about Alzheimers, about being there to offer support to people who deal with this awful disease in the people they love, and helping out where she can.
“There is one thing I want people to know,” she told me. “Even though I am coming to the assisted living side of resident care from a nursing home setting, I will do all I can, along with my staff, to see that the residents here will remain here for absolutely as long as they can. I want to reassure the residents, their families and everyone else-resident happiness and well-being is my number one concern. I am committed to them first. I am so excited to take on this position. For me it’s a dream come true, an answer to my prayers.”
One last note to add, Karen was so impressed by the families and the people that come to the Cottages to visit. She hopes that this will continue. It’s great to see how people care. Congratulations Karen!
