It was definitely not the kind of Christmas Eve anyone would have asked Santa for. But to Jimmie King, it was one more example of the competence, kindness, hard work and generosity of the staff at Care One at King James. Couple that with an outstanding volunteer fire department from Middletown, and it was a Christmas Eve to remember with love and gratitude.
The Pipes are a Freezin’
King, administrator at the Care Center, was notified by staff Saturday night that there was an apparent broken pipe in the ceiling, in one of the residential rooms. Living close to the Care Center, King assured staff he would be there in six minutes.
In the car and on the way, King received a second call that apparently another pipe had burst. By the time he got to the care center minutes later, a third in yet another location had also broken and “the rooms had what looked like rain showers.”
King notified the fire department, and Middletown’s fire companies and Deputy Chief responded, ensuring that though the pipe breaks may have set off the alarms, the volunteers were there to help staff take swift action.
“We had to re-locate 20 different residents,” King said, because of the freezing temperatures and high winds that had caused the pipes in the ceiling in the one story structure to freeze and burst.
Best Residents
“But we accomplished it, and I know everyone in the Bayshore already knows it, but we have the best residents in the world,” King said. “They adapt to sudden disruptions easily, they do not ask questions, they simply rely on our staff and feel confident the staff will be there to help and keep them safe.”
Confidence in Staff
Nor was he surprised at either the residents’ total confidence in the staff or in the staff themselves. “I have always known this staff is dedicated, capable, and willing to do everything they can for their residents. This was just one more example of their excellence.”
King conceded it was an unusual night with several emergent situations that had to be handled immediately, but with a staff capable of handling a variety of jobs, and willing to go the extra step to ensure the safety and comfort of their residents, everything went “if not smoothly, at least orderly and with the least disruption for the routine schedule in the care center.”
Second Incident
This is the second major unusual incident at the award winning care center within a month. Several weeks ago, one of the contractors that does landscaping at the facility was responsible for the roof over the main entrance coming tumbling on. The driver apparently attempted to get under the roof which was just a bit too low for the heavy ladder he had raised in the back of the truck, and tore the entire roof down. While that repair work was supposed to be started today, the contractors’ back load of other emergent work because of the recent freeze has delayed that until at least next week. In the meantime, visitors have to walk a longer distance to gain access to the building for visitation; the staff is also providing wheelchair access for visitors who cannot walk the additional hundred feet or so for access.
“To say we have had an unusual month puts it mildly,” an experienced and calm administrator said, “but with the staff that we have here, they have proven they can handle just about anything and still keep the residents comfortable and smiling. I have often heard it say the King James staff treats its residents like family. To me, they prove it every day and I couldn’t be more grateful or appreciative.”
