RHS junior Lauren Gentner had just finished her dinner shift at Regina Health Center in the main dining room. As she was cleaning up the leftovers off of the table she overheard a story about the resident nun who had just turned 105 that spoke fluent Spanish and ate a diet consisting of ice cream. She smiled. The residents always cracked her up.
Revere students work as dietary aids at Regina Health Center, a nonprofit Catholic nursing home. The students are paid to serve residents their food and beverages specific to their dietary needs. Workers can either volunteer or apply for a paying job, and can work in many different areas. The workers interact with the elderly, coworkers, and nurses as well.
Gentner said that Regina is a “religious retirement center” that is open to non-religious people as well. She said that they have church every morning and that they pray before every meal. Gentner explained the job capabilities at Regina.
“You can volunteer if you want to; I actually volunteered in laundry before I worked there, and you can volunteer in dietary, or activities, because they always have activities for them. Just different fun things to keep them doing stuff. You can do both,” Gentner said.
Senior Olivia Cross, who began working at Regina in 2012, explained how she found Regina.
“I was talking to my friend about getting a job because I needed one. The next day my friend called me and said he found a Facebook post saying that they were hiring, so I applied,” Cross said.
Senior Marissa Smith described the layout of where the dietary aids work and what they do at each station.
“There are three different dining rooms, and at one of the dining rooms, you are by yourself and serving 21 residents, and there’s a 2B dining room where there [are] three different places, and each [place] has positions that do different things. There is [also] a main dining room where you are in there, and the residents can do their own thing. Basically, you are just there to help them. There is also a cleaning area,” Smith said.
Junior Alaena Friedrich voiced what she likes about working at Regina.
“I love working at Regina. All the elderly people are so friendly. My coworkers and all the nurses are all so nice and caring,” Friedrich said.
Friedrich also said that her best experience at Regina has been “making new friends” and “learning how to interact with pretty much every age group.”
Smith explained the ties between Regina and Revere.
“There are definitely a lot of kids at Revere that work at Regina, and we represent well at Regina,” Smith said.
Cross commented how working at Regina can help getting into college.
“Regina is a great place to work, and you really cannot beat the hours that we work. Working at a nursing home looks good on applications for colleges and other jobs if they are in the health sciences department,” Cross said.
Cross added that she also is pursuing a medical career and that “working at a nursing home and with the elderly looks great on applications” because as the generation gets older and receives jobs, the “baby boomers” will become elderly and will need assistance.
Smith said that the dietary aid staff of Regina Health Center is the “best, most fun staff to be with.”
Regina Health Center has a close bond with Revere, and multiple residents come to see the Revere Players’ productions. The Revere students work as dietary aids at Regina Health Center are paid to serve food and beverages specific to the resident’s diet. Workers can alternatively volunteer, and can work in many different areas. The students also communicate with many people, whether it be a resident, their employer, or another staff member, in order to efficiently complete the tasks accompanying their job.