Their smiles and infectious personalities times two pervade Providence Nursing Home on Versailles Road in Lexington. 67-year-old twin sisters Annette Dence and Paulette Baker are the activity directors at Homestead Post Acute and Pine Meadows Post Acute at Providence.
Annette started working at Providence 46 years ago. She recalls looking for a job as a 21-year-old.
“I had worked at the nursing home in Bowling Green when I attended Western for a short term, and I just enjoyed being around people. You know, just being around people was exciting. And so, before I entered this door, I prayed, and I said, Lord, direct my path and place me where you need me to be.”
She and her sister were star athletes in Washington County. Paulette would stop by Providence to see her sister.
“I would like assist as a volunteer with her. My husband and I ran a restaurant in Winchester. And so, after that was over, I just wanted to find something that would give me worthiness and that I would enjoy doing. I used to work with special needs early on in my career, and so I came to visit Annette one day, and they said they were looking for an activity’s person at Pine Meadows.”
That was 21 years ago, and the sisters have not stopped caring for the nursing home residents. Paulette credits their family upbringing and faith for their dedication to senior citizens.
“God is a comforter, and God will, he'll give you what you need at the time, you just continue to be thankful for the moments and the experience that you had and the gratefulness. I'm still here. I still have opportunity to make a difference in someone's life.”
The sisters consider the residents a second family. Annette says they plan activities throughout the week that keep the seniors engaged.
“We have Wednesday Bible study. What we try to do is promote what they were used to on the outside. And so, we bring things inside. We have Bible study. We gamble on Monday, we play blackjack, we go to church on Sunday, and gamble on Monday. We're very diverse; we just do whatever you know they want to do. We allow these residents to engage in what they're used to.”
Music is a big part of that.
“I think music is soothing. It's powerful. It's music. It tells a story. For example, when we do the “Oh, Happy Day”, it takes them back to church. It takes them back to when they were growing up in the church. For a lot of our elderly population church was a big thing for them; it was a big, big, big issue. And then, you know, they enjoy the music of their time. So, we go back. We go all the way back to the 1920s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 80s. We sing it all. We do it all.”
Justin Holman is the administrator at Homestead Acute Care. He relishes the sister’s dedication through the decades.
“Well, it makes my job easier. Makes my life easier. It helps me to feel comfort in that I know that that the residents will be engaged and that they will be cared for, and not just physically, but in other ways. And I don't really have to worry about that now. I have no doubt that the residents will be cared for in the best way possible.”
Their care of the residents also comforts family members of the senior citizens. Thad Holway says he knew very quickly that his mother Sally was in the right place.
“Paulette and Annette and many of the staff there love these people and make them feel loved. And I saw that, and for every holiday, even Presidents Day, whatever, they decorated that place to the nines. And they just wanted to be there. My mom looked at me one time and she was sitting on the edge of her bed, and I was sitting in a chair in her room. She goes, oh, I should have done this five years ago. They bring me my food, they wash my clothes, they bathe me. She goes; this is heaven.”
Thad’s mother passed away at the nursing home a year ago.
“I went to Pine meadow to get her stuff, and Paulette was right there to greet me at the door and just gave me the biggest hug and held me for like 30 seconds and told me how much she loved my mom.”
Sandy Stover a nursing home resident of 26-years at Providence, appreciates how Annette cares for her.
“She's marvelous. She's wonderful. She's caring. I don't know. She has made this my home, not just me, not just me, everyone. She's the most gracious. It's just hard to put it. She cares so much about the people here. I just get a bit of an emotional because I said, I love her so very, very much as a caring friend.”
Paulette says it’s about family, kindness, and compassion.
“Every day that I come in here, there's a new somebody with the need or something, and it just makes me feel good to be able to help them and assist them and get to know them and be a part of their family. Because once they come to a facility, whether it be one day, 10 days, or 10 years, they become a part of our family. And so, you know, family means a lot to me. I come from a big family, and so I have a big family here.”
Paulette and Annette provide care that goes beyond their job titles. It’s their mission in life. It’s their legacy on this Earth.
